War of the Dead
by DemonFireX
Summary: Chase Matthews is a suvivor. After escaping not one, but two islands overrun by the undead he was more than ready to live a normal existance. But when the past comes crashing back into his life he will have to band together with his new classmates in order to survive once more. How will the HOTD story change with the addition of a teen who has survived this nightmare twice already?
1. Prologue

**A/N: I know a lot of you are wondering if I'm bat shit crazy and wondering about my other fics. I'm going to tell you now that I DO intend to finish up my other stories, but I have been wanting to get this Pilot chapter out for a while now and just got the courage to do it. **

**There aren't any Dead Island/HOTD fics out there, so I decided to break the mold and do something completely original. There will be mentions of the cast of both games in this story, and maybe even a cameo appearance or two throughout the story. But the fic is based around, surprise surprise, an OC of my own design and his experiences that will lead up to the events of the anime/manga.**

**I've been a fan of HOTD for a long time, and to be honest I think a few others can agree with me. And Dead Island has become the next generation in zombie slashing games, of which I am a fan of as well. **

**Either way, I'm letting you readers be the judge of this one. I just hope you enjoy it like my other two series'. **

**(Disclaimer: I don't own shit!)**

_**"Ever have one of those days where you think your life couldn't suck any more, and than you're proven horribly wrong not two seconds later?" **_

_**"That's pretty much been my life for as long as I can remember. However, considering my current situation I've discovered that things can get even worse than you could possibly expect."**_

_**"Laying on the ground feeling like I'd been run over by a Mack truck with an undead creature built like a tank baring down on me isn't how I wanted to go out. But I think that it's hopeless to think that anything would change after everything I had been through."**_

_**"It's like some kind of horrible cliché that skull fucks you just for the hell of it."**_

_**"I could hear the others screaming my name as the creature raised its massive foot, ready to bring it down on my head as I laid there helpless and in pain. Time slowed to a crawl as the limb came down, and I couldn't help but think back to when all of this started a week ago."**_

_**"How I was dragged back into the nightmare I thought had been behind me for the last two years."**_

_**"I guess the past really doesn't stay buried...whether it's living or dead..."**_

**X (One Week Ago) X**

_A sixteen year old boy ran inside a metal shack with four other people right behind him. The other two men in their group throwing themselves against the double doors and slamming it shut as their pursuers crashed against the other side. "Get something to seal the fucking doors!" shouted the caucasian man with a mohawk as he and the african american dressed like a rapper tried to keep the opening closed._

_A dark-skinned woman grabbed two large pipes from the floor and rammed them through the handles. The two men stepped away as the door shook violently as the creatures outside continued to throw themselves against it in an attempt to get at them._

_On the floor, an asian woman was holding her arm, blood seeping through her fingers from the gash that had been torn into her flesh. The sixteen year old pulled off his backpack and dug out a clean rag, a bottle of water and bandages before he started to clean her wound and dress it._

_"So now what the fuck are we gonna do?" asked the rapper sitting on the floor with a baseball bat clutched in his hand as he watched the door as it continued to shake._

_"There's gotta be a way out of here." said the dark-skinned woman with an Australian accent as she looked around the shack. _

_The man with the mohawk looked out the window on the other side of the shack, "Other side's clear, for the moment. Bastards will attract more if they keep pounding." he said gripping the handle on the machete he held. _

_With her wound fully dressed, the chinese woman stood up and took out her pistol. "The longer we wait, the less time we have. We should get moving quickly." _

_The teenager nodded in agreement as he took out his metal bow-staff as they gathered around the other door as the one they sealed started to splinter from all of the weight crashing into it. "Everyone ready?" asked the dark-skinned woman as she reloaded her shotgun._

_"Let's do this shit." said the caucasian man as he kicked the door open and they all ran in a full sprint into the jungle. _

_The distant cry of a couple of creatures ran out of the jungle and toward them as they moved. The rapper caved the skull in of the first one that reached them as a quick gunshot put down the second as they kept moving._

_More creatures, slower ones, stumbled out of the foliage as the group continued to run toward the settlement at the end of the dirt road. The teen caught his foot on a rock and fell flat on the ground, the others slid to a stop and spun around as he got back to his feet._

_"CHASE LOOK OUT!" shouted the chinese woman as he spun around._

_One of the creatures was in front of him, eyes devoid of life, decaying arms outstretched to grab him as a groan of hunger emitted from its throat. _

_More of them crowded behind it as it grabbed his shoulders and attempted to bring him closer to its rotten mouth. Chase slammed the end of his staff into the creature's chin knocking it off-balance before bashing it hard enough in the head and sending blood spraying through the air as it collapsed to the ground like dead weight. _

_The gathered crowd closed in on him as he ran back to the group and they continued to move. But when the reached the entrance to the settlement more of them came pouring out of the buildings. _

_They were surrounded. _

_All five stood back to back with their weapons ready as the creatures closed in around them. "If we survive this shit...drinks are on me." said the rapper raising his bat. _

_Chase gripped his blood covered staff as the first of the creatures got within striking distance._

The blaring sound of an alarm slowly awoke the lone figure sprawled out on the bed. Reaching a hand up, he smashed the off button before roll on his back and staring at the ceiling above him.

18 year old Chase Matthews closed his dark blue eyes as he rubbed a hand over his face. He'd been having the nightmares again. Even after all this time he couldn't escape the past. Several councilors had told him that what he had been through would have mentally broken a grown man, he was lucky to have gotten out of it with only a handful of problems.

Getting out of bed, wearing only a pair of boxers which showed off his athletic and muscular form, he stretched a bit before dropping to the floor and started doing push ups. Reaching 100, he flipped over and did crunches until he reached the same number and stood back up and walked out of his bedroom and toward the bathroom of his one bedroom apartment.

Splashing water on his sweaty face, the teen looked at his reflection in the mirror. His face was angular and had no baby fat to speak of. His black hair had been shaved down to stubble except for a short-cut mohawk that went from the base of his neck and the top of his head.

The look in his eyes revealed that of someone who had witnessed and committed too much in his life. A haunted look that would most likely be with him until the day he died.

But it wasn't the eyes that stood out. It was the cluster of scars on his upper torso that really caught attention. A couple across his chest, a few on his arms and shoulders, and one on his stomach. Out of all of them, his dark eyes zeroed in on the one located on his shoulder close to his neck.

It was in the shape of two crescent moons separated by a centimeter on both sides with several deeper marks along the shape. To anyone looking at it, they'd know that it was a bite scar. Now completely healed but still very pronounced.

Shaking his head at the barrage of memories that assaulted him, he got into the shower and got started on the rest of his morning routine.

Chase had lived alone for the last year. When his parents were killed he had no living relatives to take him in. He went into the foster care system for a year before becoming emancipated when he received the inheritance his parents left behind; under the stipulation from their will that he finish school if they passed away before he was 18.

With nothing for him in the States, the teen bought a one way ticket to Tokyo, Japan. He wanted to make his folks proud and enrolled into one of the many academies in the city limits. He was now a Senior and more than ready to graduate at the end of the year in four months.

Done with his shower, the american teen got dressed in his school uniform and gathered his supplies into his backpack. Grabbing his math text book, two picture frames on the desk caught his eye.

The first one was of him and his parents when his dad returned from his last tour in Iraq. He'd just turned 16 when he got back, and the three of them were all sitting together on the picnic table at the park close to their home.

The second photo had six people in it. Two women, three men, and him. All of them bandaged up, clothes bloody, dirty and torn in places. Yet despite their appearance, they all smiled at the camera.

A few words were scrawled on the bottom of the frame read; _'Purna, Logan, Sam, Xian, Chase, and John. We lived through Hell, and we'll keep fighting.'_

Chase smiled at the two photos before looking toward the locked foot locker under his bed. His smile faded. He hadn't seen the contents in almost a year, and he prayed that he'd never have to see them again.

Checking his watch, the teen grabbed his backpack and his helmet as he left his apartment and headed toward the parking lot where his black Yamaha YZF R6 motorcycle was located. Revving the engine, he pulled his helmet on before peeling out of the parking lot and tearing down the streets toward the _second_ Hell he had to endure.

Fujimi Academy.

**X**

The courtyard of the high school was full of students that had just arrived when the morning air was filled with the roar of a motorcycle.

Chase pulled into the parking lot and parked in his usual spot. Ignoring the stares he'd been receiving ever since he first enrolled. Getting off the bike and pulling off his helmet, the american heard a voice ring out. "Hay Chase!"

Looking up, the teen smirked when he saw Kohta Hirano approaching him. He and the chubby student had met not too long after he moved to Japan, seeing the bespectacled teen being picked on by a bunch of assholes had forced the american to take action.

_Flashback_

_"That's the matter fatass? Can't fight back?" asked a tall student as he shoved Kohta to the ground. _

_"Yeah, can't you even hold up a fist?" asked another kicking the shorter teen in the stomach as everyone around laughed at him._

_"HAY ASSHOLES!" everyone looked up as Chase stormed down the hall, fists clenched. "Why don't you back off. Go jack off to some weight lifting videos or something." he growled standing in front of them._

_The two bullies gritted their teeth as they stepped away from the Kohta's shocked form and got into the american's face. "And what are you going to do about it? You're just some stupid american who thinks he's hot shit. Why don't you crawl back home."_

_Chase smirked, "Why don't you pull your head out of your mama's titties and act like a man." _

_Every student around them gaped, some of them fighting down chuckles as the two bullies stood gobsmacked. They regained their senses and went at him in fury._

_The american ducked under their sloppy haymakers. Delivering a solid kick to the first one's gut and doubling him over before throwing an uppercut to the second's chin and knocking him on his ass. He quickly brought his foot up and kicked the bully in the head and knocked him out cold before going back to the first._

_Getting to his feet, the bully charged Chase again. The mohawked teen spun around the strike, grabbing the arm in mid-swing and pulling it behind the other teens back and yanking it up high making the bully cry out in pain and drop to his knees. _

_"Now, you're going to grab you pal and leave. And if I catch you picking on this kid, or anyone else for that matter, I'm going to fuck you up so bad your kids will need plastic surgery." Chase growled in the teen's ear before shoving him away._

_The bully scrambled to his feet and grabbed his friend before taking off. Chase looked at the gathered students with a raised eyebrow, "What, the fuck, are you all looking at?" he asked as they went back to their business. _

_Kohta got to his feet and walked up to the american slowly. "T-Thanks for that. You didn't have to help me though, I'm used to this kind of thing." he admitted. _

_"It's no problem. No one should have to put up with that shit." said Chase holding out his hand with a smirk. "Chase Matthews." _

_"Kohta Hirano." said the chubby kid shaking his hand. "I've heard a lot about you. Mostly rumors. Some people say that you actually killed someone." _

_Chase put on a fake smile, even though inside he felt a small wave of anxiety shoot through him. "Me? Nope. I'll beat the shit outta them, but killing is not in my job description. Too much cleaning up, if you know what I mean."_

_Kohta chuckled, "Yeah, guess you're right." he looked at the clock and cursed. "Shit! We better hurry or we'll be late." The two set off to class, spending most of the day hanging out together and finding similar interests. _

_It was the beginning of a good friendship._

_Flashback End._

And it was. Chase and Kohta had been good friends since that day. The chubby teen may have lucked out with the ladies, but he was damn smart when the chips were down. And he was a closet gun-nut. The kid knew everything from specs. and blueprints, to how to modify any weapon for the best performance.

He was a damn genius with a firearm. The two even frequented the firing range every other saturday and pitted their skills against one another.

"What's up Ko?" asked Chase strapping his helmet to his pack as the other boy approached.

"Same old, same old." said Kohta as the two walked across the courtyard toward the school. "You ready for that history test today?" he asked as they entered the building.

"Ready? To be honest man, I think you and I are the only ones that are." said the american shaking his head. "Christ, I'm american and I know more about this country's history than most of the people in our class...that's just sad."

Kohta laughed, "Yeah, you're probably right." the teen froze in mid-step causing Chase to stop too.

"Ko? What's up man?" he asked seeing his friend frozen in place. He followed his line of sight and understood why he stopped.

Almost ten feet away stood a girl with glasses and her pink hair done up in two pigtails. Her uniform hugging her slim form and pronouncing her large breasts and hips made her look like any man's wet dream.

She was Saya Takagi, one of the richest and smartest girls in the school. And a complete bitch in Chase's mind.

The girl may have had money, brains, and a body to die for. But she was condescending, bitter, and treated everyone around her like she was better than them in some way. And Kohta, the poor bastard, had the hots for her something fierce.

Sighing, Chase shook his friend out of his stupor, "Reign it in, Ko. No one wants to slip on your drool." he said as they started moving again.

"She's so beautiful though. How could you not stop to admire her like art?" asked Kohta.

"Because I'm not a glutton for punishment." said Chase. "Honestly man, she's shot you down in the most cruel ways before you can even get a word in. How can you stand all the abuse from that harpy?"

The teen adjusted his glasses, "You know me, when I set my mind on something I stick by it. Who knows, maybe one day she'll let down her walls and let someone in." he said with hope.

The american had to give props for the chubby teens persistance. He wasn't stalking the girl like some people would believe. But Kohta had a gold heart, and sadly wore it on his sleeve all the time which left him open for abuse from their peers. But never once had his spirit been broken, no matter how harsh the treatment.

Hell, Chase remembered the first time his friend told him about Saya...that day could have definitely gone better.

_Flashback_

_Chase looked at the girl Kohta had told him about with a calculating gaze. _

_His friend had told him that she was the smartest girl in school, and the daughter of a right-wing nationalist that was highly known around the country._

_The american had to admit she was hot. But he had a feeling that the brainy goddess had a down side to her that overrode what was seen on the surface._

_Deciding to introduce himself, Chase walked across the cafeteria during one of their lunch periods and toward her table. She's been talking with a couple a friends when they all stopped to look up at him. _

_The two other girls at the table looked at him in shock while Saya narrowed her eyes like a scientist would a petri dish._

_"Hay, name's Chase. I'm a bit new around here and I'd thought I'd introduce myself." he said with a smile. _

_The two other girls blushed slightly, but Saya just scoffed. "Oh, your that new kid everyone talks about. A foreigner."_

_Chase narrowed his eyes, "Is there a problem with me coming here from another country?" he asked keeping his voice even._

_"There isn't a problem," said Saya offhandedly, "I just can't understand why the school would just hand a random person an enrollment form like they were giving away flyers. I mean this school does have standards."_

_The american's eye twitched. Not thirty seconds and this chick was already pissing him off with her condescending tone. "Is that so? And what standards are those, if I might ask." he said through his teeth._

_"Students that can actually _hold_ a book." said the pinkette adjusting her glasses. "Students that are willing to learn and aren't trying not to look cool. But most of all, a student that is intelligent enough to know who they're able to associate with."_

_By this point most of the cafeteria was watching them. Chase clenched and unclenched his fists as he felt the back of his neck burn with anger. He took a deep breath and plastered a fake smile on his face. "Whoa...I can't believe that..." he said slowly._

_Saya turned her nose up, "Well believe it." she said taking a sip of her drink._

_"I can't believe that such a condescending bitch it the head of her class."_

_The pinkette spat out her drink, the whole room went silent as Chase glared at the genius as she stood up with fire in her eyes. "What did you just call me?" she growled darkly._

_Chase crossed his arms over his chest, "You heard me. Or is that brain of yours effecting your ears?"_

_Saya looked bout ready to kill as she glared at him through her glasses. "What the HELL gives you the right to say that to me?" she hissed._

_"Easy, you've given me enough to go with from the short time you've spoken." said the american. "Just because you think you're better than everyone else doesn't mean you are. I've seen the way you treat people, you put them down, make them feel like their inferior, for such a bright and beautiful woman your ugly as sin on the inside."_

_"I don't need some punk foreigner telling me who I am!" she screeched._

_"I think it's about time someone did!" Chase roared back making her take a step back. "Take a long hard look in the mirror Takagi, I think you'll start to notice the horrible truth. You keep this shit up and you'll end up dying alone with no one to blame but yourself. Because believe it or not, no one can survive in a cruel world like ours without people to rely on."_

_Saya narrowed her eyes, "And what would you know about a cruel world?"_

_Chase shook his head slowly, "My family's been dead for two years." he said earning gasps around the room. "But you wouldn't know what that's like, would you? Getting up one morning and finding out the only people in your life that gave a fuck were gone forever. That you had to go through life on your own and forge a path that they would be proud of."_

_The pinkette looked at the floor and gnashed her teeth. Chase sighed, "You know what? Forget I even came over here. I wanted to introduce myself and got spat on, big surprise considering that's the same welcome I've received six times out of ten since I got here."_

_He turned and headed for the exit, but paused and looked back one last time. "If you weren't such a bitch all the time, people would probably like you just a little bit more." with that he left, leaving a shocked room and a thoughtful Saya in his wake._

_Flashback End_

Saya never changed her tune after that day, but at least that someone was able to point out her faults and call her out on them like she did to others. Shaking his head of the memory, Chase saw that they had reached the first room, Kohta sighed. "Mr. Shido...I really fucking hate him."

Chase gritted his teeth and couldn't help but agree. The bastard was a sadist in the class room. Routing out the weakest and turning the other kids against them like a pack of ravenous jackles.

And worse of all he was damn near untouchable. His daddy was a corrupt politician that would make anything happen if his son asked for it. Hell, one of their classmates had been held back a year simply because her father had investigated Shido's old man for his corruption.

Chase had bucked heads with the bastard on more than one occasion. He didn't put up with the shit and had received multiple detentions for 'class disruption'. But when the school board started looking into what was going on with the foreigner and why he was in so much trouble the teacher backed off. Not completely, but enough to not be noticed.

"Bare with it man, won't be long until summer's here." Chase said patting Kohta on the shoulder trying to cheer him up.

Kohta put on a brave face, "I'll survive. I'll catch you later okay?" Chase nodded as he headed off to his own class. Wondering how the rest of the day was going to play out.

Reaching homeroom, Chase sat in the back close to the window like he always did while the rest of the class talked amongst one another. He watched several trees sway in the wind as he let his mind wander while he waited for the class to start.

The sound of the chair at the desk next to him being pulled out caught his attention. He turned and saw one of the reasons he paid attention in class this time of day.

Saeko Busujima. Captain of the schools kendo club and by far one of the most gorgeous women Chase ever had the fortune of meeting. She was a grade under them, yet they shared homeroom together and that was more than enough to get the american to perk up during the course.

She had long purple hair, bright blue eyes and a figure that was slim and toned from all of her time practising sword fighting. With legs that went on forever and a bust size that made almost everyone zone in on.

Mostly she was quiet, but spoke with confidence that revealed that she followed the code of conduct passed down by her samurai lineage. She and Chase had spoken multiple times, even doing a few projects together and actually getting to know each other.

Though she was still a closed book. She had a kind and compassionate nature about her but kept certain things about her close to the chest. Chase never tried to pry into her life and respected her privacy unlike others who had tried and were either met with rejection or the blunt end of her wooden kendo stick.

"Chase, how are you today?" she asked smiling at him.

The american smiled back, "I'm fine Saeko. I take it your day has been good?" he asked back.

Saeko nodded, "Yes. I have training with my kendo squad after school today. I trust that you will most likely be there as well?" she asked.

Chase nodded, "Yeah. I still think Bushido is an interesting art, I wouldn't mind learning a bit more about it from time to time." he said honestly. _"And getting a little closer to you doesn't hurt either."_ he thought to himself.

"I am more than willing to teach you about the art of Bushido if you are willing." she replied as the teacher entered the room and the class started. "We will speak more later." she said as the teacher began speaking.

Even though he was tuned into the lesson of the day, Chase couldn't help but feel a little off. Something about today had been bugging him for some reason, like a bad chill he just couldn't shake off.

Almost like something very bad was going to happen.

**X**

Half way through the school day, Chase was headed to his usual spot like he did every day at this time.

Paying the janitor ten bucks a week to let him sit up on the roof without trouble was a good investment. He needed time to relax and get ready for the other half of the day and he couldn't think of a better way to do it.

Heading up the steps, Chase pulled out a pack of cigarettes and put one in his mouth as he went up each flight. Reaching the roof he paused seeing that he wasn't alone.

Takashi Komuro stood alone leaning against the railing, thinking to himself as he stared out over the campus.

The two weren't friend's per say, but they were acquaintances from time to time. Him and Chase got a long great when they were in the same room and had pretty similar interests. But they were apart of different circles while in school.

Chase had found out that Takashi was friends with both Saya and Saeko on some level and was well known around the school as just an average guy. But he was laid back and skipped class often which didn't put him in good standings with certain faculty members.

Walking up to the railing and leaning on it next to the other student, Chase turned his head and regarded his guest. "Long day?" he asked rolling the unlit cigarette in his mouth.

Takashi nodded without saying a word.

"Woman trouble?" the american asked taking out his zippo lighter and flicking it open and closed a few times before sparking it and lighting the cancer stick.

The younger boy nodded again and sighed. Chase knew about what was going on with him in passing. Apparently his lifelong friend and girl, Rei Miyamoto, dumped him and was now dating his friend Hisashi. To the american that was a pretty scornful move for the woman to do considering how close people had said the two of them had been before all this.

He'd met them both in passing on several occasions. She was a nice girl and was damn impressive with a bow staff. And he could tell that Takashi was in deep with her. Which made the split painful for almost anyone who knew them.

Taking the pack of smokes, Chase held one out for the younger boy only for it to be waved off. "I don't smoke." said Takashi. Shrugging, the american took a long drag on the cig and blew smoke out into the open air. Both of them just stood there in silence for a long while.

Chase was never good at the whole small talk thing. But he knew that when it came to matters like this silence was always the best option for some people.

Reaching the end of the cigarette, he flicked it away before taking out another. "You know, from personal experience, I've learned life's too short to dwell on nothing but pain." Takashi looked up at him. "Heartbreak sucks balls, but if you let it swallow you up you lose sight of what you really want."

The american lit the cig and looked at the younger boy, "If you care enough about her to be hurting this much, then fight for her. Don't lay down like a beaten dog and let people walk over you. Or you'll end up missing out on something you wish you hadn't."

Takashi sighed, "It's not that simple." he said scratching the back of his head.

"Is it?" asked Chase. "Takashi, I see and hear a lot of shit that people don't think I do. I know you and Rei have serious history. I also know that she dumped you because you can't make up your mind about how you feel about her. I may not offer good advice on relationships, but I can say that if you want a future with her, than you better get your head out of your ass and find out what you really want."

"But she's dating Hisashi." said Takashi still moping.

"It's obvious she was just looking for someone to help her through her own pain." said the american. "I'm not saying to rush in and break them up, but I am saying you should lay down everything for her. Whether she choses you in the end or not, at least you'll show her where you stand on the matter."

Takashi was silent before letting out a breath, "I don't know. After the way we split...I just don't know."

Chase patted him on the shoulder before blowing out another plume of smoke. Both boys falling back into silence as the wind blew around them.

Just as he was about to finish his second smoke, something down in the courtyard caught Chase's attention.

A group of four teachers came out of the school and headed toward the front gate where a lone man stood on the other side rattling the gate. Takashi followed the american's vision and was watching the same thing with curious eyes as the teachers tried speaking with the man, threatening to call the police if he didn't leave the property.

That cold, chilling feeling creeped through Chase's form again like before. His dark blue eyes locked on the scene unfolding on the ground below with a sense of foreboding that he hadn't felt in two years.

Something about the situation was all too familiar to him.

The unknown man stopped moving a moment before he started pounding on the gate with new vigor. One of the male teachers reached through the gate and grabbed the man's shirt, but the man grabbed the teacher's arm and sank his teeth into it. Spraying blood all over as he tore away a large chunk of the faculty member's limb.

The teacher collapsed to the ground screaming as he clutched his badly bleeding arm for almost a minute before going completely still.

Chase felt his heart freeze in his chest. "No...no it can't be..." he mumbled in shock as Takashi couldn't take his eyes away from what was happening.

The downed teacher suddenly started twitching as the others gathered around. He sprang up, grabbing the only woman teacher by the shirt and pulled her in close before sinking his teeth into her throat.

"What the hell's going on!" Takashi shouted before running toward the stairs and back into the building. Chase remained where he was as the cigarette fell from his limp hand. The two teachers that had been bitten down below started attacking more people that were near them, spreading their infection with each victim.

Clenching his fists, the american spun on his heel and ran for the stairwell. He had to warn everyone before it was too late.

**X**

_**"I couldn't believe that this was happening again. It wasn't possible that the same event from two years ago was unleashed yet again on another populace. But it didn't matter at that point. The living were being attacked by the dead, and it was only a matter of time before everything became overrun."**_

_**"Surviving Banoi and Palanai had been both Hell and a nightmare...I thought I left it behind me like the others had."**_

_**"But I guess it followed me here too..."**_

**A/N: And that ends the pilot chapter. Be honest guys, is this thing worth continuing? Or should I delete it now? I'm leaving the choice up to you all for right now. I look forward to your reviews and PMs regardless. And if I get some good feed back I'll continue this.**

**DFX out!**


	2. That Old Familiar Situation

**A/N: With 15 reviews within 24 hours, and a small cluster of views, favorites and follows thus far. I decided to put out the next chapter of the story quickly so that you readers could get a better grasp of what I'm going for here. **

**I'm going to tell you guys now that a lot of things will be changing within the story. Those who know me know that I like to add my own originality to fics so that they remain a mystery as things play out. One reviewer even asked if I was going to use the 'special zombies' that were present in Dead Island. I'm not going to give anything away in an authors note, so you'll just have to wait and see. **

**You know the drill guys, so lets get this show back on the road.**

**(Disclaimer: Do you even have to ask?)**

_**"I couldn't believe that all of this was happening again. And in Japan of all places."**_

_**"When me and the others made it off of Palanai and out of range when the nuke detonated we all thought that the plague that turned both islands into living necropolis' was over and done with." **_

_**"But the evidence was hard to miss."**_

_**"Once the infection breached the front gate to Fujimi Academy it spread like wildfire throughout the school. Everybody erupted into full blown panic overcame the student body in seconds. All the while, the infected were able to corner and pick off the students and faculty like flies in the chaos."**_

_**"Several students realized what was happening and defended themselves against the undead onslaught. But with the number of infected raising by the second it was a matter of time before they became overrun."**_

_**"As for me...I was going to do everything I could to make sure as many people lived as I could. If this virus was the same like on Banoi and Palanai, then that meant I had an edge that the other students may not have."**_

_**"And it's an edge I intended on using to the fullest."**_

**X**

Fujimi Academy was in chaos. Small fires burned in several areas, blood painted the walls and floor of almost every room and corridor as the school became infested with the undead.

The sounds of bones breaking and flesh tearing could be heard over the terrified screams and hunger filled moans that filled the air...it was Hell.

Two girls stood in a corner, shaking with fear with tears in their eyes as four walkers closed in on them. Arms outstretched and bloody mouths gaping as they prepared to devour them.

"P-Please...leave us alone..." one of them begged weakly as the four undead closed in farther. The two girls closed their eyes and waited for death to claim them.

A battle cry rang out followed by the sound of something hard slamming against flesh. A loud crack echoed out which was coupled with a body hitting the floor. This happened again three more times before the girls opened their eyes again.

They were shocked to see Chase standing over the four dead walkers, metal pipe in hand covered in blood and grey matter as he wiped a bit from his face. "You two okay?" he asked shaking the blood off of his weapon.

Getting nods, he pointed to the door leading out, "I cleared a path to the faculty lounge. Stay low and keep quiet, you'll be safe." he assured them.

"Th-Thank you." said one of the girls as she helped her friend out of the room and to safety.

Chase looked down at the corpses and gripped the pipe tighter. Everything had happened too fast for him to warn everyone. It was like Banoi all over again, but it had spread much faster than it had back then.

Shaking away his thoughts, the american quickly left the room and began combing the halls for any more survivors. Taking out any and all walkers along the way while keeping a look out for any infected that might have mutated into more deadlier classes.

The very last thing this place needed were zombies with stronger abilities.

Pausing at a corner, Chase peered around and saw four walkers on all fours tearing into the body of a teacher that crossed their path. Walkers were slow, and relied mostly on their hearing since their eyes weren't as strong as they were when alive.

Desiding to sneak past them, the teen pressed his back to the wall and moved slowly down the corridor while making as little noise as possible. The sound of flesh being ripped and eating filled the air along with the stench of rot and decay. All of which Chase was familiar with.

Reaching to where the walkers were eating, the teen continued to move at a slow steady pace as to not agitate them. He swallowed hard when he saw one of the infected, one that was once a girl that went to this school, ripped the teacher's intestines out and began feeding on them.

After what felt like an eternity, Chase made it to the next corner in the hallway and started to move quickly along the path. Looking around, he saw that it was the same hallway that had his locker.

Turning right, he stopped at the locker in question. Spinning the combination and opening the door as quietly as possible before rummaging through its contents. He mostly had his books and school supplies inside. But he kept something else in the back if he happened to encounter something his fists couldn't handle.

Removing a secret compartment in the back of the locker he made himself, Chase pulled out a 9 inch K-Bar knife that had belonged to his father when he was at war.

Pulling the knife from its sheath and looking over the clean, sharpened black blade, the american nodded before strapping the sheath to his belt and closing the door.

Before he put the deadly knife away, Chase spun around and drove the blade up into the jaw of a walker that had attempted to grab him from behind. The weapon's tip going up through the roof of its mouth and into the creature's brain killing it instantly.

He pulled the knife free and gently laid the body down so it didn't make noise. Wiping the blade off on the corpse's torn clothes before sheathing it. "I know you're with me pops." he muttered before going on his way once more.

**X**

The rest of the school didn't look much better. And any survivors that had any hope of living through this was already zombie chow.

Chase cursed as he roundhouse kicked another walker into the wall where it cracked its skull and collapsed unmoving to the floor. He dropped to the floor next to the male student who was clutching his badly bleeding neck as he started choking on his own blood.

The kid had no hope. He'd bleed out in a few seconds and come back as one of them. The american stood and gripped his pipe, "I'll make it quick." he said gently. His only reply was a subtle nod as he brought the blunt instrument down hard on the student's head. Caving his forehead in and ending his suffering.

Sighing deeply, Chase began trudging through the halls. Hoping to find someone, anyone that was still living. Depending on who he found, he'd try to help them plan a way of escape and find out what the hell was going on in the city and if there was any news about the rest of the world.

The sound of running footsteps made him stop cold. _"Survivors? Or Infected? I hope it's the first one."_ he thought getting ready to fight.

Two people rounded the corner and stopped seeing him standing there with blood splattered on their clothes like on his. He lowered his pipe recognizing them instantly. "Takashi, Rei, about time I saw more living." he said lowering his guard a little.

"Chase?" asked Takashi looking around at all of the dead walkers before looking back at him. "Is there anyone else?"

Chase sighed, "Whatever people I could find I sent to the faculty room. I already cleared the place and it's the most fortified in the school. Though...I don't know if any of them actually made it."

Rei shuttered, "What is going on? How did this happen?" she said gripping the broomstick she was using as a spear.

"It doesn't matter how it started. What matters is survival and finding a safe way out of this." said the american.

Takashi nodded in agreement, "We should stick together. Strength in numbers." Chase nodded back as the three of them started moving. "So how did you survive so far, Chase?" asked Takashi as the began running up a flight of stairs.

"Luck and natural skill. These things are stupid and slow, if you can find a way to work around them it's pretty simple since their eyes are bad and they rely mostly on hearing." said Chase. "Though you better be careful when they're in groups. That's when they become a problem."

Rei shot him in a look, "How do you know all this?"

Chase narrowed his eyes, "It's not the first time I've dealt with this kind of thing."

The statement stopped both Takashi and Rei instantly. Chase stopped a few feet ahead and kept his back to them. "What does that mean?" asked Takashi not able to believe what he had heard. "You've fought these things before?"

The american remained still. "It's a story for another time. But right now-" the door next to him exploded as a walker came hurling out at him.

Takashi and Rei's eyes widened in horror and tried to move to help the other teen who they thought was caught off guard.

Chase saw the creature coming and moved quickly. Putting his forearm under its chin and sealing its mouth shut before slamming it into the wall next to the door it came out. The other two were in shock at how fast he moved as he stood still as a statue, walker pinned to the wall and grabbing at his arm while trying to get its mouth open to bite him.

The teen looked into the undead's soulless eyes emotionless as he drew the K-Bar from his belt and stabbed it into the walkers temple. With a sickening twist the creature went limp before Chase pulled the blade free and let it drop to the floor.

Turning to the other two who were still watching wide eyed. He shook off the blood from the knife and flipped it in his hand so that he was holding it reverse-blade style "You two just going to stand there, or are we heading out?" he asked in a calm tone that shook them both before he started heading down the hall.

Looking to one another, the two childhood friends nodded in silent agreement before following after him.

They reached another set of stairs just as a loud scream echoed throughout the whole building. "It's coming from the floor below!" Rei shouted as they went down the steps two at a time and sprinting to where the trophy cases were held.

Reaching the main atrium, the trio stopped at the sight before them.

Kohta stood with a nail gun that had been modified to work like a real gun firing on a few walkers. In the nearby corner, Saya had driven a power drill into the head of a lone walker that had come at her. The tool was running at full power as blood sprayed in all directions like a fountain.

More footsteps came up from behind as Saeko and the school nurse Shizuka Marikawa stood with them also hearing the pinkette's scream.

Saya held the walker back as she kept her face turned away from the spraying blood. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! SOMEONE HELP ME!" she screamed as more walkers poured into the room.

The now larger group readied themselves. "I got the left." said Saeko charging forward with her kendo stick and smashing one of the creatures in the side of the head.

"I got the right!" shouted Rei as she took down another with a wide sweep.

"Guess that leaves the middle to us!" shouted Takashi and he and Chase went up the middle. Takashi's bat smashing one walker so hard it bounced across the ground before coming to rest against the far wall.

Chase droved his knife into the head of the walker in front of him before spinning it around and sending it crashing into the one on his right causing both to hit the floor. He raised his boot up and crushed it down on the still moving walkers head before smashing his pipe across the face of a third as it drew in closer.

In moments all of the undead were down and out, allowing the group to breathe. "Hay Ko, good to see you still kicking." said Chase patting his friend on the shoulder while Rei and Shizuka tended to Saya who looked to be in shock.

"Hay, it'll take more than zombies to take me out." said the chubby teen with a grin while hefting his weapon.

The american looked over the modified nail gun with appreciation. "Nice. Leave it to the gun-nut to come up with something this awesome on the fly."

Kohta's grin widened as he checked the weapon over. "It needed a little ingenuity, but its accurate and can put down these things with one well placed shot." he said reloading a new clip into the tool/weapon.

The group took the time to introduce themselves to one another and let the stress of the situation defuse a little as they got their second wind.

Saya stood up and growled, "Why are you all acting so warm and fuzzy all of a sudden?" she said catching their attention. "What's the point of getting along at all?"

"What are you talking about Saya?" asked Takashi.

"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE I'M STUPID! I'M SMARTER THAN ALL OF YOU COMBINED!" she screeched. "YOU SHOULD BE LUCKY THAT I'M-" she was cut off when Chase crossed the room and pinned her to the wall with a hand over her mouth.

"Everytime you yell like that you give away our position to the fucking Zekes." he growled as she looked up at him with wide, teared up eyes. He let his grip lax as he held her shoulders gently. "I know your scared. Believe me, I've been where you are. But you can't let that cripple you. You need to be strong, and your not alone." he said looking into her eyes.

Saya looked up at the american before looking at her reflection in the mirror next to him, "L-Look at me...all this blood...it'll never come out..." Chase gently gripped her chin and made her look back at him.

"You're alive. And that's all that matters." he said smiling.

The pinkette sniffled before burying her face into his chest and started sobbing loudly. Chase wrapped his arms around her and offer what comfort he could as she let her emotional barriers collapsed right before his eyes.

His sight caught Takashi who smiled and nodded his thanks for him helping his friend. The american smiled back as Saya continued to cry.

The group heard a loud, inhuman scream pierce the air making them all jump. Saya still clung to Chase as his eyes widened and began looking around them quickly. "What the hell was that?" asked Rei.

Saeko looked around before something caught her attention. "Down there." she said pointing with her kendo stick.

Down the hall, a zombie stood hunched over slightly. Arms at its sides as his breathed so deeply it sounded like hissing. A second one joined the first as they both seemed to glare down the hallway at them.

"We got nothing to worry about." said Kohta reloading his nail gun. "Saya found out that these things hunt by sound. As long as we're quiet, we're safe."

"No...not these ones."

Everyone looked at Chase who had his eyes locked on the two creatures. "What do you mean, Chase?" asked Takashi. "I mean, you said it yourself-"

"I know what I said! But those bastards ain't walkers!" Chase barked making the other teen flinch.

"Walkers?" asked Shizuka confused.

Chase passed Saya to Takashi as he stood in front of them. "That's the name of the undead we've been facing so far. These things are different." he explained as the two creatures began to slowly trot their way.

"How different?" asked Saeko readying her kendo stick for anything.

The two undead each let out a loud scream before running at them in a full sprint.

"SHIT!" shouted Kohta as he fired his nail gun. Each shot missing the creatures as they closed the gap between them quickly. "They're too fast! I can't get a lock!" he shouted.

Gripping his pipe, Chase waited as the two undead got closer and closer. The rest of the group prepared to fight as the new creatures entered the atrium.

In the blink of an eye, Chase crouched down and lashed out with his pipe. Striking the knee caps of both undead and snapping them loudly and causing them to fall forward and hit the ground. He got up fast and stomped down on the head of the closest one and killing it.

The second one, even though its leg was useless, began clawing its way across the floor to get at the rest of the group. The teens and nurse saw that unlike the creatures they'd seen so far, this one had bright red eyes and was flailing its arms like a man possessed.

Takashi snapped out of it first and raised his bat, bringing it down hard on the thing's head until it was dead.

Chase walked over to them a moment later as they overcame their shock. "Just what the fuck were those things!" asked Saya still overly emotional from what she had just been through.

"Infected." said the american spitting on the creature's corpse. "A lot faster than the walkers, but weaker when struck directly. Still a nasty piece of work though."

Rei looked at him and narrowed her eyes, "You said before that you've fought these things. Just what the hell did you mean?" Everyone was now looking at the american as he let out a sigh.

"Not here, let's find a safe place to crash and rethink our exit strategy." he said after a moment. He looked at the group, "I'll...explain what I meant there. You'll just have to trust me until you hear what I have to say."

With no other options, the group agreed and set out to find a safe haven for the time being. Each one of them with questions of what the american that was with them meant and how he knew so much about the undead they were facing.

**X**

The AV room had been the only place close enough to set up shop. Rei and Takashi turned on the tv and was looking through the channels to try and find anything they could on what was happening.

All of Japan was under martial law, the military and law enforcement officials in the area were doing all they could to fight back against the undead and attempting to set up an evacuation zone somewhere where they could evac the non-infected people.

"Why aren't any of the global news channels covering this?" asked Rei as another news channel cut out.

"They're trying to lower the chance of global panic." said Saya now back to her old self. "Fear leads to chaos, chaos leads to anarchy. After that...we may as well just hand ourselves over to the fucking corpses. If the rest of the world discovered the truth of what was happening here everyone would lose their minds and social order would fall apart all over the world."

"The military most likely has control of air traffic to avoid the spread of the virus. And hopefully the UN is coming up with something to help assist." said Kohta as he fixed up his nail gun.

Takashi kept his eyes locked on Chase who was looking out the window at the courtyard filled with undead. The american hadn't said a word since they arrived in the room and they were all waiting for him to start talking.

"Chase..." said Saeko taking a step toward him.

He sighed before turning to them all, the look in his eyes showing someone that looked to be several years older than what he was. "I promised to tell you what I know, I honor my word." he said evenly as he laid his bloody pipe and his K-Bar on the table with the rest of their supplies. "What do any of you know about what happened on the Island of Banoi two years ago?"

The group looked to one another. "I've heard of it." said Saya adjusting her glasses. "An island resort that was quarantined from a disease outbreak. My father looked into it on more than one occasion because we planned to vacation there at one point."

Chase chuckled humorlessly. "Disease outbreak...nice way to sugar coat it." he looked back out the window at the mingling walkers as he continued, "It was Hell. A beautiful place turned into a nightmare in not even 18 hours. Guess I was lucky to find out I was immune to the virus after it started."

"Immune?" asked Kohta surprised.

The american unbuttoned his school uniform jacket and pulled it off revealing a grey wife-beater underneath. The group gasped when they saw the bite scar on his shoulder in clear view among a few other scars on his arms and chest.

"How is that possible?" asked Rei. "How are you're immune?"

"My blood." said Chase. "It turned out that anyone with blood type O- was immune to the virus. A doctor who was experimenting with it discovered that the properties of that blood type negated the effects."

"O- is a very rare blood type." said Shizuka taping a finger to her chin. "And since it's considered the 'universal donor' it's safe to say that it possesses a unique structure compared to others."

Chase nodded as he reached up and touched the scar unconsciously, almost as though as he were reliving a memory.

"You know the one who bit you, didn't you?" asked Saeko seeing the action.

The american closed his eyes. "My mother...or...what used to be my mother...". The silence that followed was almost suffocating.

He was silent a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "My folks took me to the Banoi resort to celebrate my dad finishing his last tour of Iraq. It was a great place, and I couldn't thank them enough for bringing me there. We had fun, and enjoyed ourselves like everyone else there...then everything started changing."

"People were coming in at night, talking about monsters in the jungle around the resort. No one paid any attention to it since the witnesses had been drinking. A day later people started disappearing, whole groups going into the forest and not coming back. Dad didn't like what we were hearing and said that we would head home early the next day."

Chase rubbed his face before buttoning his uniform again. "The next morning, I woke up later than usual and found our room empty. I thought my folks had gone down to finalize our check out, so I left the room and headed for the elevator. The hallways were a wreck, bags all over the place and furniture knocked over and broken."

"There'd been a huge party the night before, so I thought nothing of it...that's when things started falling apart."

_Flashback_

_16 year old Chase walked down the wrecked hallways searching for his parents. His footsteps echoing off the walls as he heard nothing but silence. _

_Turning a corner, he approached an open doorway that lead out to a balcony that overlooked the resort. The sun was shining brightly and the sounds of the ocean waves crashing against the white sands in the distance. _

_The teen breathed in the fresh air and wondered what they would do before leaving for home. He didn't like that they were heading home early, but his dad was never wrong when it came to his 'bad feelings.' _

_Breathing in another bout of clean air, Chase turned to head back in when a loud scream filled the air. _

_Looking back, the teen's face paled as a man and a woman fell past the balcony and plummeted toward the ground below. He ran up to the railing and looked down to see the two hit the ground with blood spraying in all directions._

_Panicking, Chase ran back inside and down the halls toward the elevator. Getting inside and smashing the button for the ground floor. His breath was heaving as the lift descended. Where was his parents? What the hell just happened?_

_The farther down he went, the teen began to hear more screaming. Sounds of fighting and the smell of smoke as he went past certain floors. Reaching the ground floor he ran again the second the door opened. _

_His foot slipped on the rug and he hit the floor hard. Getting to his feet, Chase looked at his arms as dark red liquid dripped down them. Chase's eyes widened, it was blood...THERE WAS BLOOD ALL OVER THE PLACE!_

_The teen looked up and felt sick when he saw a few bodies a few feet away. Blood pooling under them and seeping out along the carpet. Getting to his feet, Chase staggered down the hall. Doing his best to ignore the gore and the stench of decay around him as he kept searching for his family._

_Turning the next corner, the teen froze mid-step._

_Roughly ten feet away, his mother sat on the floor hunched over someone's body. The sound of tearing and chewing could be heard as clear as day and she didn't seem to notice her son's presence._

_"M-Mom?" he called out, his voice shaking. The woman stopped what she was doing. She stood up slowly before turning around and facing the teen._

_A scream froze in Chase's throat. The..._thing_ standing there wasn't his mother. Her skin was a dull grey color with black blood seeping out of various tears on her arms. A large chunk of her cheek had been torn away revealing bloody teeth with a large amount of blood covering the front of her shirt and shorts. Her pale lifeless eyes stared at him as a groan of hunger came from her throat. _

_Looking down to the floor, the teen felt sick to his stomach and his heart clenching. _

_His father's form laid on the ground dead. His chest and stomach ripped open with his insides spilled all over the floor around him. A scene that would haunt the young man for the rest of his days._

_Another groan grabbed his attention. His mother was shuffling across the floor, eyes locked on to him as she closed the gap between them. _

_Still frozen with fear, Chase couldn't move a muscle as the creature his mom had become knocked them both to the floor. "M-MOM!" he shouted as he held her away from him while she snapped her teeth at him._

_They struggled for a good minute, but the woman was too strong and got close enough to sink her teeth into his shoulder. Chase cried out in pain when his flesh was pierced, he kicked hard against his mother trying to fight back as blood started seeping out of his wound._

_A loud crunch was heard and the woman was sent flying away. Chase clutched his wound as more blood began to pour out when he saw a dark-skinned woman and a white man with a mohawk run over to his mother who was trying to get back up. The man raised his foot and stomped down on her head with a sickening crunch and making her go still. _

_Another woman, this one chinese, crouched down next to him and put a large bandage to his wound to stop the bleeding. "What is your blood type?" she asked. Chase was silent, shaking from the trauma and turning pale from the blood he was losing._

_A black man dressed like a rapper came around in front of him holding a baseball bat, "Answer her kid, what's your fucking blood type?" he asked tensely._

_"Sam! Back off!" the chinese woman shouted before turning back to him. "What's you're name?" she asked gently._

_"Ch-Chase...Chase Matthews." he managed to gasp out. "W-W-What the hell's going on? What happened to my mom?" he asked looking at the bodies of his parents. _

_"Sorry, kid. They were infected." said the man with the mohawk. "They weren't you're folks anymore."_

_The dark-skinned woman kneeled in front of him, "We need to know your blood type to make sure you don't end up like them." she said in an Australian accent. "We need to know, can you tell us please?" _

_Chase swallowed as he started to feel dizzy. "O-. My blood type is O-." he said shaking. _

_The chinese woman looked to the others, "He's immune. Like us." She said sounding relieved. _

_The stress of the situation and the loss of blood became too much and the teen collapsed on to the floor. The four adults crowded around him, "He's losing blood fast, we gotta get him to the life guard tower fast before he bleeds out." said Sam as he felt them pick him up and carry him outside into the warm sunlight._

_As they loaded him into the backseat of a truck that was parked outside, Chase's last thought was of his dead parents before slipping into darkness._

_Flashback End_

His tale was met with stunned silence. "It turned out that I wasn't the only one immune. The four that saved me also had O- blood and was out doing odd jobs for the other survivors that had holed themselves up at the lifeguard tower. They went to the resort to look for supplies when they found me." he explained.

"When I got back on my feet it took me a little time to come to grips with what was going on. The loss of my folks hit me hard, but being immune gave me an advantage the other survivors didn't have. I convinced the other four to let me help them on their 'missions' to help us all stay alive. It was a long fucking journey, I can tell you that much." Chase said looking back out the window as the sun began its descent below the horizon.

"How did you make it off the island?" asked Seako.

The american gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "We fought through it. The five of us discovered what caused the infection, followed the clues and evidence all across Banoi until it lead us to a maximum security prison several miles off the shores. It was there we found our way off that hell hole."

"Though...that was only the beginning for us I'm afraid." he added darkly.

He looked back at the group. "We were detained on a military ship where we were experimented on by some fucking doctor trying to make a cure and weaponize the virus. His arrogance lead to the whole ship being infected and wrecking on the island of Palanai where the nightmare started all over again. That's where we met John, a soldier who was also immune. The six of us had to go through it all again to help put an end to it once and for all."

"What happened next?" asked Saya beyond interested.

"Military had the islands nuked. Put the infection down hard, and we barely made it out alive." said Chase bitterly. "But I guess it was worthless considering that it's here now."

Takashi ran a hand through his hair. "Are you sure this is the same infection that you faced back then?" he asked.

Chase nodded grimly, "The exact same, which makes me wonder how in the hell it's still around since we watched it burn with Palanai and Banoi."

"Can you tell us what we'll be up against?" asked Rei hopeful.

The american ran a hand over his face. "Me and the others classified each infected depending on their strengths and weaknesses. The Walkers are the ones you've fought. Stupid, slow, but strong when they grab hold. As you've seen yourselves, they rely mostly on hearing since their eyesight is damaged."

"The two that came at us not long ago are called Infected, they're fast, and hit hard especially when there are more than one. But they're weaker than the walkers, but they're able to see you and can alert others around them."

"The virus can mutate?" asked Saya startled.

"Depending on the victim and the environment they're in. Yes." said the american. "I'll tell you more once were somewhere safer, right now we need to focus on getting out of here."

"Uhh, Chase?" said Kohta from the window. Chase and the other walked over and saw the chubby teen pointing at something out in the courtyard. The group looked out and were shocked to see something that looked like a walking nightmare.

Moving amongst the walkers, was a creature that no longer resembled a person. Its body covered in large tumors that pulsated with each step it took as it lumbered along.

"What...is that?" asked Saeko feeling disgust rise up in her throat.

Chase narrowed his eyes, "Suicider...named because the bastards explode when either damaged or when they grab on to someone. The virus is spreading and mutating quicker than I thought."

"It's..." Rei couldn't even form the words as she covered her mouth seeing the mutated zombie lumbering around.

Shizuka had a thought. "Why do you call them Zekes?" she asked looking away from the monstrosity and at Chase.

"That soldier I told you that we met? He called them that, guess it kinda stuck with me." said the american as they turned back into the room. "Our situation is still the same, we need to plan a way to escape the academy grounds and get to a safe zone. Ideas?"

Everyone thought hard, but Saya was the one that spoke up. "With there being a bigger group, we'll have to use one of the school's buses to escape the campus and get past the corpses."

"Oh! The keys for the buses are in the faculty room. And I think I can drive one." said Shizuka excitedly. "But how will we get to the bus?" she asked toning down a moment later.

Takashi looked at the undead outside and gripped his baseball bat, "Unfortunately, we'll have to go right out the front door." he said as everyone got ready to move.

Chase picked up his knife and pipe before looking to everyone else. "Well what are we waiting for? The Zekes sure as hell aren't waiting for us."

**X**

_**"It was crazy, but we really had no other options at the time. And the number of Zekes were growing by the hour. So with what weapons we could gather we set off to get the hell out of the school and to somewhere safe so we could come up with a better strategy."**_

_**"But the bitch of the whole situation was that our problems were just beginning. And our very survival depended on our teamwork and my past knowledge of these freaks."**_

_**"Guess it's true what they say. The past really does come back to bite you in the ass in the end."**_

**A/N: And Break. A good amount of zombie slaying, the gang encountering undead the likes of which were only seen in nightmares, and another piece of Chase's past revealed. A**** lot more surprises await in the next chapter, and the gang will encounter many more horrors as they make their getaway that will take all their skills just to survive. **

**I'm still a little unsure if I should continue or not, and I know that the first 72 hours are critical for most stories to see if they can make it or break it when it comes to the online community. **

**If I do continue this fic, I'm hoping to work on a good pairing for Chase in the near future. If anyone's got any ideas let me know. And I WILL be putting lemons in this story because for gods sake the anime writers should have put them into the original plot of HOTD.**

**Keep your reviews and thoughts coming, and I'll be sure to make it worth your wile.**


	3. Escape

**A/N: The people have spoken! With all the reviews and PMs I've gotten in the last few days, I've decided to continue with this story and make it one to remember! Huge kudos to all those who have faith in me, I won't let you down. I promise.**

**The pole for Chase's love interest for later in the story has already begun, and its current standings are as follows;**

**Saeko: 2**

**Saya: 2**

**Everyone else is at 0 and are currently out of the running, but that can change depending on what the readers decide. The pole will be open for a while, but I will warn you all now. The choice of who will be his girl will change the story in huge ways, so choose wisely and pick the one you think is best fit for this OC hero!**

**Now let's keep this ball rolling! (Disclaimer: I own nothing!)**

_**"...so there we were. A rag-tag group of people thrown together because of circumstances that were growing more and more out of control."**_

_**"You had the overly innocent, blonde school nurse with a HUGE rack. A young Bushido master. A chubby gun-nut. A conceited genius. The outcast and his childhood love. And me, the mentally scarred survivor that had more blood on his hands than all of them put together."**_

_**"The odds were stacked against us in almost every way, but I've been though worse. And I knew that the only way for us to have any chance to survive this was through teamwork and careful planning."**_

_**"Then again...most of the plans I was used to involved thinking so far outside the box that it bordered on insanity."**_

**X**

The halls of the academy were almost completely devoid of life. A few bodies laid across the ground and a few slumped against the walls with blood painting almost every surface. Everything silent except for the hungered groans from the undead that roamed around looking for any victims that remained within the institutions walls.

Running footsteps echoed through the empty halls as the group of seven made their way to the faculty lounge to aid in their escape from the hell that surrounded them. Being careful not to agitate too many of the walkers that were still around.

"You think anyone else made it?" asked Rei as they stopped at the last corner that would take them to the lounge.

"We can only hope they did." said Saeko peering around the corner. A group of three walkers shuffled around the entrance to the faculty lounge. "Three of them, but there could be more within the lounge."

Chase took a look as well, "It'll be easy to pick them off if we get in close." he said gripping his weapons.

"I could shoot them." said Kohta raising his nail gun. But his friend lowered it.

"Save you ammo, we'll need it later when we make a run for the bus." said the american.

"Then what do you expect us to do then?" asked Saya snarkly.

Without a word, Chase rounded the corner. Flipping the K-Bar around his hand so that he was holding the blade before throwing it. The knife pierced the closest walker through the eye socket and dropping it to the floor quickly.

The walker next to the first looked up only for the pipe to cave its skull in and kill it as quickly as the knife did to the first. The last zombie began moving toward the teen but was cut down when a baseball bat made contact with the side of its head and sending it into the wall.

Takashi shook the blood off his bat while Chase pulled his knife from the zombie he killed. "Worked out better than I thought." he said as the two boys regrouped with the others.

Everyone stacked up outside the door to the lounge, Saeko twisted the handle and pushed it open with her kendo stick just a crack so she could look inside. "It's clear." she said opening it the rest of the way.

Once inside, Shizuka headed straight for where the bus keys were located while everyone else looked around.

Chase let out a sigh of discontent. "None of the survivors I found are here..." he said shaking his head.

Kohta patted his shoulder, "You did your best man. It's not your fault that they didn't make it."

Saya raised an eyebrow, "Idiot, it's possible that they just found another place to hide. Then again, the corpses have this place pretty much under their control at this point."

The blonde nurse returned moments later with the keys and the group quickly got moving again. Making their way to the front of the school where they looked down from the top of the railing to the ground below.

"We should avoid a fight as much as possible." said Saya as they looked at the handful of walkers milling around below them. "The constant fighting will wear us out too quickly. And if more of those 'Infected' are among the others we should be focusing our attention on them since they would be the biggest threat."

A scream pierced the air. The group ran toward the stairs where they saw a group of five students fending off a few walkers that had them surrounded on the landing between floors.

Kohta took aim and shot one of the walkers as it reached for one of the male students holding a bat similar to Takashi's as Saeko leapt over the railing, bringing her kendo stick down hard on the head of another walker.

Takashi ran down the steps with Rei on his heels, swatting aside the undead that were in the way as they cleared a path for the other survivors. Chase leapt over the railing like Saeko had done, slamming both feet down on to the head of one of the last two walkers before driving his knife into the temple of the last one still standing.

The five students looked around at the them and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you." said one of the girls.

"Keep it down." whispered Seako. "Has anyone been bitten?"

"W-What?" asked the same girl shocked. "No, no one."

Rei smiled, "It looks okay. We'll be alright."

"We're getting out of here." said Takashi coming down the steps. "Do any of you wanna come with us?"

The students agreed to come along as they all moved as one toward the front of the building. Chase took another look around and felt several familiar senses returning to him. He felt the same way he did back on Banoi and Panalai.

Anxiousness, adrenaline, and just a small amount of fear to keep him on high alert.

"Chase?" the american blinked and looked up to see Seako looking at him. "Are you alright?"

He shook his head with a small smirk, "It's just...I feel it all coming back to me." he said looking at his blood covered knife and pipe. He gripped both weapons before looking back at the beautiful bushido master. "And I don't know if I should feel excited...or afraid."

The young woman nodded, "I can only imagine. But do not let your past take a hold of you. Or you could lose your edge." she said sympathetically.

Chase nodded, "No worries. I got this." he said as they followed after the others.

**X**

The now larger group looked down toward the entrance that would lead them to the parking lot. Nearly a dozen walkers filled the small area milling around making escape impossible from their position on the stairs above.

"There sure is a lot of them." said Takashi as they hunkered down out of sight.

"We have to go through the gate." said Rei. "There aren't any more options that we can take with the rest of the school infected."

"Wait...what the hell is that?" asked one of the students they picked up.

Everyone looked down and saw a hideous form lumber out of a darkened hallway and into the open. They all gasped as the shaking form of a Suicider now walked among the undead below them.

"And things just got a lot worse." said Chase grimly.

"Wait, didn't you say those things explode if they take enough damage?" asked Kohta. "If I shoot it, it'll explode and take out the walkers around it. We'll have an opening."

"And every corpse within earshot will hear the blast and coming toward the front and we'll be trapped." said Saya. "Use you head moron, we need to be discreet."

Chase looked from the mutated zombie as he began thinking. "What we need is a distraction." he mumbled catching everyone's attention. "A way to draw the Zekes outside away from the front and make an opening to the bus."

"What are you getting at Chase?" asked Takashi.

The american stood up, "I have a plan, it's crazy, but it could work." he looked back down at the undead before going back to the group. "Wait here. Kohta, when you hear my signal, wait for the right moment and shoot the ugly fucker." he said heading to the top of the stairs.

"What the hell are you planning?" asked Saya. "Hay, I'm talking to you." she whispered loud enough to not be heard from the undead below.

Chase paused before looking back at them, "Trust me." without another word he ran back down the hall they just came from leaving a befuddled group behind him.

"He's helped us so far, we should trust in his idea." said Saeko as the american disappeared from sight.

"And Chase honors his word." said Kohta raising his nail gun and locking on to the Suicider as he waited for his friend's 'signal'. "I outta know. He's helped me in more ways than anyone else ever did."

The only thing they all could do was wait, and pray that Chase would come through for them.

**X**

It took him a few minutes, but Chase was able to find where he needed to go.

He reached a row of windows that overlooked the student parking lot where his bike was located. Only four walkers were in the area, three of which were feeding on a corpse that was now too mangled to identify.

Sliding the window closest to him open, he sheathed his K-Bar and slipped the pipe into his belt before vaulting out the window and down to the ground behind a row of bushes. Bending his knees to cushion the fall and make the impact as silent as possible.

Taking his knife back out, he peered through the bushes and saw that his landing didn't alert any of the walkers in the parking lot. _"Gotta make this fast. The longer I wait the smaller the window I have." _he took a deep breath before standing up and sprinting across the parking lot, in-between the various cars that were covered in gore from the poor victims that couldn't escape in time.

The three walkers all perked up hearing his footfalls, but he just ran right past them as he made a b-line for his bike.

That's when he heard it.

An animalistic scream echoed through the air forcing him to look back and see an Infected coming right for him and gaining fast. "Shit!" he exclaimed sliding to a stop. When the fast moving zombie reached striking distance he leapt into the air and lashed his right leg out.

The kick connected hard against the Infected's head and sending it into the front end of a nearby car, shattering a headlight and causing the vehicles alarm to blare loudly.

On the other side of the parking lot, a door leading into the school burst open and a crowd of zombies began to pour out from the noise. "Ah FUCK!" Chase shouted before running to his bike and jumping on. Pulling out his keys and starting the small vehicle up, he glared at the gathering walkers.

"Fuck you guys, maybe next time." he revved the engine and sped off out of the parking lot and back to the front of the school.

**X**

The group waited with baited breath. Chase had been gone for several minutes and they were starting to get worried.

"He's been gone a little while." said Saeko with a little worry in her voice.

"He shouldn't have run off. Whatever plan he's managed to cook up might fail then where will we be?" said Saya growling slightly.

Rei twisted her grip on her makeshift spear, "We can't give up hope yet. Just give him another minute or two."

Shizuka nodded, "She's right. I'm sure Chase will be right back any moment now."

The genius scoffed, "He could be dead for all we know. We can't just assume that-"

"Shut up." Everyone looked at Kohta who had kept his aim on the Suicider this whole time since his friend had left. "If there's anyone to be trusted it's Chase. The guy would throw his life on the line for anyone who needed help. If he says he'll come through for us, you can be damn sure that he will. That's just who he is." he said with conviction.

Before anything else could be said, the whole group heard the sound of a motorcycle engine. "Hay, I think I see something." said one of the other students as he looked out of a window from the floor above.

Everyone, save for Kohta who remained in place went up to the floor and looked outside. Shock registering on their faces as Chase rode in from the student parking lot on his bike. Revving the engine loudly causing every undead in the area to turn in his direction.

"Oh my god..." said Rei paling.

"He's not going too..." added Takashi.

Saya narrowed her eyes, "I think he is."

Saeko gripped her kendo stick as her eyes widened.

Outside, Chase revved his bike again and again as every walker in the area had their attention on him. "HAY YOU PASTY FACE FUCKERS!" he shouted loudly over the bikes engine. "YOU WANT FOOD? I GOT 173 POUNDS OF LEAN MEAT RIGHT HERE! YOU WANT IT? COME AND GET IT!" he cranked the released the clutch and began to burn doughnuts into the ground as the undead began to head in his direction.

A handful of Infected ran through their lines hoping to reach the teen first as they blazed a trail through the walkers.

"That's it." Chase said finishing another revolution. "Come at me." he reached down and flicked the radio on as an old rock song started blaring over the bikes small speakers.

(A/N: Play 'Shoot to Thrill' by ACDC)

_All you women who want a man of the street  
But you don't know which way you wanna turn  
Just keep a coming and put your hand out to me  
'Cause I'm the one who's gonna make you burn_

Chase gunned the engine and charged the coming infected. Popping a wheely allowing the front tire to connect against the leading zombies head and ripping it from its body from impact. The remaining Infected were struck as well and were sent in several directions as the teen put the bike back down on two wheels and zoomed toward the crowd of walkers.

_I'm gonna take you down - down, down, down  
So don't you fool around  
I'm gonna pull it, pull it, pull the trigger  
Shoot to thrill, play to kill  
Too many women with too many pills  
Shoot to thrill, play to kill  
I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will  
Yeah_

He turned the bike sharply, allowing it to slide across the ground on its side from the gathered momentum. The undead were sent flying when the bike and rider slammed into their legs, causing many of them to land headfirst on to the pavement in a splash of blood and grey matter.

_I'm like evil, I get under your skin  
Just like a bomb that's ready to blow  
'Cause I'm illegal, I got everything  
That all you women might need to know  
I'm gonna take you down - yeah, down, down, down  
So don't you fool around  
I'm gonna pull it, pull it, pull the trigger_

Reaching the end of the gathered horde. Chase brought the bike back up and revved the engine again. Pulling the pipe from his belt, he sped back into the crowd of undead. Bashing any that got within distance while one or two were knocked aside by the vehicle he rode on.

Being damn sure to keep his balance as stable as possible to avoid being thrown off.

_Shoot to thrill, play to kill  
Too many women with too many pills  
Shoot to thrill, play to kill  
I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will  
'Cause I shoot to thrill, and I'm ready to kill  
I can't get enough, I can't get the thrill  
I shoot to thrill, play to kill  
Yeah, pull the trigger  
Pull it, pull it, pull it, pull the trigger  
_  
An Infected leapt up in an attempt to knock the american from his bike. But a quick, last minute turn only had it hitting the ground as Chase leaned forward on his ride causing it to pitch forward into a front-wheelie.

Spinning it around and swatting a handful of zombies around causing them to crash into others and knock them down like rotting dominos.

_Oh  
Shoot to thrill, play to kill  
Too many women, with too many pills  
I said, shoot to thrill, play to kill  
I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will  
'Cause I shoot to thrill, and I'm ready to kill  
And I can't get enough, and I can't get my thrill  
'Cause I shoot to thrill, play it again_

The bike came back down on two wheels again. Blood and dents covering its once perfect frame as bodies of both dead and still moving corpses surrounded it.

More walkers and Infected began to gather around, but their attention was away from the school's entrance and the bus that was 200 meters away.

Chase smirked, wiping a bit of blood from his face as he gunned the engine and went to take on more of the undead to buy the others more time.

**X**

The whole group was gobsmacked as they watched the american doing his best to hold off the horde. "I think that's our opening." said Saya as they headed back to the stairs.

All of the undead in the room below were now gathered around the door leading outside. Trying to find a way to get out into the open and toward whatever noise was going on beyond.

In the center of the group toward the front was the Suicider. Set up just perfectly for what was about to happen.

Kohta grinned as he took aim at the mutated zombie. "Told ya he'd come through." he said as he squeezed the trigger.

Time slowed down as the large nail left the tool's 'barrel'. Sailing through the air on a direct path before piercing the back of the Suicider's skull and making its head bounce against the door in front of it hard enough to crack the glass.

At first nothing happened, then the creature's body began to convulse violently for a moment before erupting like an organic frag grenade. The blast, coupled with shrapnel in the form of bone and organ fragments, shattered all the glass in front of the group and sent the walkers around it hurling back and crashing into the walls and floor.

Blood and body parts went through the air before coming down and leaving the room looking like someone had blown up a morgue.

The smell of rot and bile reached the group causing a few of them to gag while the others looked at the damage in awe.

"If...If any of us had been close to that..." Shizuka couldn't even complete her thought.

"We have our opening, let's not waste it!" said Saeko snapping everyone out of it and getting them to get moving as fast as they legs could carry them. Running past the piles of gore as they opened the doors and headed to where the bus was parked.

A few pockets of walkers outside stood in their path and were quickly dealt with by Takashi, Saeko and Rei who lead the charge. Several more who had been heading to where Chase was still trying to fend them off while on his bike turned and began to move toward the closer meal as they kept moving.

The student holding the baseball bat toward the back of the group swatted a walker aside before running back at the others. But his movement was halted when a towering shadow loomed over him.

He barely had a moment to register what was happening before a large arm struck him hard in the chest and sending him skidding across the ground, dropping his bat in the process as he came to rest several yards away.

Saya and the girl who had been next to her stopped and looked back and saw what had happened. A zombie that easily stood at 6'8'' stood tall, arms at its sides as it let out a bellowing roar that echoed throughout the area.

The student that had been knocked back tried to stand but was pinned down as four walkers piled on top of him and began tearing at his flesh with his teeth. His screams of pain and agony being drowned out by the large zombies roar.

"NO!" screamed the girl next to Saya as she tried to run back.

"What are you doing!" the genius shouted grabbing her arm. "He's dead! There's nothing you can do to save him!"

The girl looked at her with tears in her eyes before shaking her head. Tearing her arm away and running into the growing group of zombies that were devouring her boyfriend.

"You heard me didn't you!" Saya called out. "He's not going to make it! Why are you going back to him?"

"I understand..." said Shizuka catching Saya and Rei's attention. "If the whole world turned into this. I'd rather die with the person that I love..." she said with tears in her eyes.

"Oh shut up doctor bleeding heart!" shouted Saya just as an Infected ran up to grab her.

"LOOK OUT!" shouted Kohta shooting the fast zombie through the temple and putting it down before it could get to her.

Takashi and Seako reached the bus and knocked away any undead that were crowding around it. "Ms. Shizuka the key!" Takashi shouted as he bashed the skull in of an Infected that ran at him from around the large vehicle.

The blonde nurse got on to the bus and began to get to work on starting it while Kohta and Saya followed her on. The chubby teen pulling open a window and taking aim. "Targets confirmed, taking aim..."

"JUST HURRY UP AND SHOOT THE DAMN THING!" shouted Saya.

Rei stabbed another walker through the head and ducked out of the reach of another as a large shadow towered over her. She looked over her shoulder and rolled out of the way as a large arm knocked the walker that she had dodged before away.

The tall zombie from before let out another bellowing roar as it shuffled after the young woman who gritted her teeth and swung with all her strength.

Her spear connected solid against the larger undeads head making it stagger back a step. To Rei's utter shock it righted itself and began to come for her again.

She struck it again and again but all she did was slow it down as it kept coming. "I can't take this thing down!" she screamed as she kept swinging.

Takashi smashed away another walker before seeing Rei's plight and charging over to lend a hand. His bat connecting hard with the zombies left arm with a satisfying crack.

The towering undead paused, looking down at its damaged limb before swinging back with its right and connecting with Takashi's chest and sending him slamming into the side of the bus. "TAKASHI!" Rei screamed as the large zombie roared in triumph before going back to the girl before it.

**X**

Chase breathed heavily. His badly dented pipe burrowed into the head of a walker as it fell to the ground. His bike sputtering from all the damage it sustained from the constant fighting. Blood covering almost every inch of it as a result.

He looked up hearing Rei scream and his eyes widened.

A Thug was baring down on her, and he knew full well that her little spear wouldn't be enough to put the big bastard down.

Kohta was switching from shooting the undead and taking a few shots at the Thug to give Rei precious time. Saeko was keeping walkers off of Takashi as he slowly got back to his feet. All the while more Zekes were pouring out of the woodwork and converging on them.

Thinking fast, Chase looked down at his damaged bike and sighed. "Well, it's been nice knowing you pal." he said out loud taking out his K-Bar.

Reaching down, he cut the fuel line a little causing gas to spurt out on to the ground. He revved the engine twice before taking off in the direction on the powerful zombie. "REI GET CLEAR!" he shouted.

Rei looked his way, eyes widening as she saw him coming. She spun around and ran as fast as she could toward the bus as the american closed the gap between himself and the Thug.

Timing it just right, Chase leaned back. Pitching the vehicle on its side and rolling off of it on to the ground as it struck the Thugs legs and causing it to trip and crash to the ground on top of it.

Getting to his feet, Chase looked at the large undead as it attempted to stand on shattered knees. He took out a cigarette and his zippo, lighting the cancer stick and taking a long drag before dropping it on to the trail of gas that lead to the bikes still leaking fuel line.

The fuel caught fire quickly. Spreading along the trail leading to the source as it entered the fuel tank.

The parking lot lit up as the bike exploded in a bright orange fireball. The blast blowing the Thug apart and sending its body parts flying all over.

Everything slipped into silence for a moment. But it was shattered by the sound of the bus powering up and rumbling loudly. "I got it!" shouted Shizuka from the driver's seat. Chase took one last look at the blaze before running over to the bus and jumping on as everyone else got in.

"That...was some crazy shit Chase." said Kohta as his friend flopped into the seat across from him.

"Just you wait, I got a lot more up my sleeve." replied the american with a chuckle.

Takashi went to close the door when he saw another group of students running toward them. One of the people in the group looked to be a teacher.

"Who's that?" asked Takashi.

"That's Mr. Shido of class 3A" said Seado.

Rei's back straightened and she looked disturbed when she heard that. Chase saw this and narrowed his eyes as he looked out the window as the other survivors approached. "We can go now!" shouted Shizuka.

"Wait just a bit longer." said Takashi.

"Their in front of us, any more and we might not be able to make it through. " said the nurse.

"Then run them down. If my bike could handle a few, this thing could take some damage." said Chase not taking his eyes off the approaching group.

"If doctor big-boobs tries to drive over that many it'll flip the bus." commented Saya.

The american smirked, "It'll work, trust me, I've seen it happen." he said making the genius glare at him.

"We don't even have to save him!" said Rei catching everyone off guard.

"What do you mean 'we don't have to save him'?" Takashi shouted back.

"I mean we shouldn't help him! We should just leave him here to die!" the girl fired back.

Chase saw something happen in his peripheral vision. One of the students following Shido tripped and hit the ground at the man's feet. They exchanged a few words before the teacher kicked the student in the face and sending him crashing into a group of walkers that quickly piled on top of him.

The american's eyes narrowed and a growl ripped from his throat as the teacher simply strolled away from the student's cries of pain and got on to the bus with everyone else who didn't catch what he had done.

"Okay GO!" shouted Takashi as Shizuka slammed down on the accelerator. The bus took off down the parking lot and toward the front gate to the campus.

The blonde nurse gasped seeing a large crowd of undead standing at the gate looking her way. She swallowed hard as she spoke to her self. "They're not Human anymore. They're not Human anymore."

A hand on her shoulder made her look up. Chase looked down at her with gentle eyes. "You're right. Those things aren't people. They have no souls, they feel no pain. They're not alive anymore. Remember that." he said calmly.

Shizuka looked back to the front and narrowed her eyes before pressing on the accelerator harder. The bus ran down the walkers that were in the way before crashing through the iron gates of the academy and taking a sharp left turn down the road and to freedom.

With a sigh, Chase flopped back down in his seat. The adrenaline in his system starting to wear off and fatigue beginning to settle in. He looked around the bus at all of the people lucky enough to make it. A part of him wishing that more had been able to make it out, but at least some people made it.

His eyes locked on to Shido who was standing in the back talking to his students. The man gave off bad vibes that he had felt many times before. And seeing what he did to that one poor bastard that fell proved those feelings.

And something deep in his mind told him that the SOB would be trouble in the near future.

**X**

_**"Had I known how right I was at the time, I would have sided with Rei and made sure the bastard was left to rot in that fucking place."**_

_**"We'd survived the school. But it was only the beginning. Me and the others had a long way to go and things were only going to get worse from then on out. Even with my skills and knowledge with what we were up against couldn't prepare me for what we were about to face when we entered the city."**_

_**"And if I knew then what I know now...I would have tried to do things differently..."**_

**A/N: And another one is down. I'll be slowing my updating speed from here on out and allow you guys to submit ideas and give me your thoughts before cranking out the next one. Stay frosty out there guys, cuz this undead nightmare is far from over!**


	4. Cause and Effect

**A/N: I'm back once more, and with it I've decided to close the pole regarding Chase's love interest early. Because to be honest it was a goddamn landslide with all the reviews and PMs I received. I won't say who it is, but I have a feeling that most of you already know the answer. And if you don't, than you will by the end of this chapter.**

**Speaking of this chapter, there won't be any badass zombie killing sadly. But there will be a lot of explanation, a little bit of drama, and it will all lead up to some awesome, sexy, badass moments that I hope will be worth talking about. So let's not wait another second!**

**Disclaimer:...still don't own it.**

_**"They say that every city has its monsters. A shroud of darkness that waits in every shadowed corner waiting for the unsuspecting to walk into its domain so it could swallow them whole."**_

_**"Of course, no one ever believes that such things exist. Until the real monsters walk through the street like a wave of death and decay."**_

_**"Surviving the school had only been the beginning of the nightmare for us. The first stepping stone in a journey that would lead us into the darkest parts of the city that was falling apart at the seams."**_

_**"For the others, they were facing horrors that most thought only existed in movies and video games. For me...it felt like I was back on the islands again. Fighting tooth and nail for survival and the ability to see the sunrise."**_

_**"A dormant part of me was reawakening after two years. And it was that part that would prove to be both a blessing and a curse."**_

**X**

_It was close to midnight as Chase walked through the gated 'yard' around the lifeguard tower. Going past several groups of survivors the others had managed to find alive around the resort and along the beaches along his trek. _

_Everything was locked up tight and everyone who was on guard duty was on high alert. It was a lot more dangerous to go out at night. Visibility was at its lowest and the infected would spot any source of light in the darkness._

_The cool night air washed across Chase's face as he headed for the make shift command center everyone had set up in at the top floor of the tower. After spending the last couple of days helping around their little safe zone, the teen wanted to do more for the people who saved his life._

_And since it was discovered that he was immune to the virus that was plaguing the island he could do more for those who weren't immune._

_Reaching the door leading into the tower, he knocked loudly so that the people within would hear him._

_A moment later, Xian opened the door and was a little shocked to see him. "Chase? It's late, what are you still doing up?" _

_"I wanted to talk to you and the others, do you guys have a minute?" the teen asked scratching at the bandages under his shirt that covered the wound his infected mother had given him days prior. _

_The chinese woman hesitated before opening the door the rest of the way and allowing him inside. Logan, Purna and Sam all looked up from the map of Banoi they had combed over for the last few hours to see the new arrival. "Something you need kid?" asked Logan crossing his arms._

_Chase looked at each of them before sighing, "I wanna help." _

_"From what I've heard you've been helping pretty well around here." said Purna. _

_The teen shook his head, "No, I mean I want to go out there and help you guys with all of this." he said shocking the group of immune._

_Sam shook his head, "No fuckin way kid. The shit goin on out there is bad enough. We don't need to be babysittin yo ass too." _

_Chase growled, "I'm immune like you guys. I'm fast on my feet, and I know how to fight. I can handle myself." he said with conviction._

_"These ain't bullies in the school yard kid." said Logan. "These things are dead. They don't feel pain, mercy or nothing. The only thing they want is the flesh off your bones. You really think you can handle that?"_

_Purna shot him a dirty look before going back to Chase, "It's just too dangerous out there, Chase. It's a toss up whether or not _we_ may or may not come back. You can't just throw your life away." _

_"I'm not." said the teen rubbing his still healing shoulder. "My folks are dead...nothing will bring them back. The only thing I can do is fight on in their memory. I have a gift that only you guys have, a way to fight these things and make sure everyone else survives this shit." _

_He looked at each of them, "I'm not asking because I feel obligated. I'm asking because this is something I have to do. For them, and for myself. If I die out there, I'll die knowing I fought for something important and didn't spend my last days holed up somewhere out of fear."_

_The four other immune survivors looked to one another. Logan looked at the floor and breathed out through his nose. "I say give him a chance." said the ex-quarterback after a little while. _

_"I'm...not sure about this..." said Xian struggling with allowing the teen to go out into the perpetual hell that the island resort had become. _

_Purna crossed her arms and looked the kid over closely. "What kind of combat training have you had?"_

_"Took martial arts for the last four years, got good with a bow staff and kendo sticks. I'm also on my school's football team." said Chase._

_"Running back?" asked Logan._

_"How'd you know?" asked the teen._

_"Honestly, you look like someone who can run like hell." replied the man leaning against the table. _

_Another few moments passed before Purna sighed, "Alright, if your absolutely sure. We could use all the help we can get getting supplies and finding a way out of here." the all gathered around the map again which had several places marked with red Xs and others with circles around them. The lifeguard tower and two other locations had squares around them marking them as safe houses._

_"Tomorrow we need to hit up the petrol station close to the hotel. The owner and his daughter said they could help us out if we do him a couple of favors." said Purna before looking at Chase. "You're going to need a weapon." _

_The teen looked around the room before something caught his attention. He walked across the room and reached behind a couple of filing cabinets, pulling out a metal staff with a leather grip in the center. "This will do." he said spinning it around a bit to test the weight._

_"Get some rest, we're going to need it." said Xian. The group nodded before filing out of the room to get some rest for the long day they were going to have tomorrow._

_Chase turned to leave when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up at Sam B who looked back serious. "You better not get us killed out there kid. You watch our asses, and we'll watch yours. Deal?" _

_"Deal." said the teen as they headed to their separate sleeping areas. _

_Entering the make shift barracks that was set up for the survivors. Chase set his staff next to the backpack he had gotten from another survivor before laying down on his cot. Closing his eyes and listening to the sound of the insects outside and the few other people in the room whispering amongst themselves._

_The distant cry of a few undead out in the night rang out as he slowly drifted to sleep. _

**X**

Chase's eyes snapped open, buildings flying past the window he was leaning against as the bus continued down the road. The sun was dropping low in the sky and began casting pink and orange glows along the landscape around them.

Escaping the school had been tough, but they'd managed to make it through with a few others tagging along. Even though one of those people was a teacher that had been grating on everyone's nerves since they left the campus.

"Chase, is everything alright?" the american turned and saw Saeko in the seat next to him, her kendo stick laying across her lap as her blue eyes looking into his own.

"I'm fine." he said rubbing his eyes. "How long was I out?"

"About 40 minutes. You fell asleep not long after we put some distance between ourselves and the academy." said the bushido master.

Chase smirked, "Guess I'm a little rusty when it comes to Zeke killing. It has been two years after all."

Saeko raised an eyebrow. "How long did you fight these creatures on the island?"

"It depended on what we were doing. Sometimes we'd only have to fight for a few minutes, other times hours. Once me and the others were held up in a fortified shack for well over a day picking Zekes off until we had an opening to escape." expained the american.

"Didn't you sleep at all?" asked Kohta as he and the others in their group over heard him talking.

"Could you sleep with a bunch of Zekes banging on the front door?" asked Chase raising his eyebrow.

The group nodded in understanding. "This is all _fascinating_ and everything. But we need to address the matter at hand." said Saya looking directly at Chase. "Just what the hell are we dealing with? What kind of plague is able to bring people back from the dead?"

Chase ran a hand over his mohawk, "It's a bit difficult to remember the specifics after all that's happened. But I do remember what caused this to begin with." he said drawing everyone's attention while trying to make sure that it was just the group around him, plus Shizuka and no one else. "What we're dealing with is a mutant variant of the Kuru virus."

Saya and Shizuka both gasped. "K-Kuru? That's...That can't be right..." said the nurse shaking at the wheel.

"What is Kuru?" asked Kohta confused.

"It's a prion disease that acts like mad cow disease but for Humans. It was known to thrive among indigenous tribes of Papua New Guinea that practiced cannibalism." explained Saya. "But the virus takes 12 years to incubate within a host, so how is it reacting so quickly now and is bringing the dead back to life?"

"Back on Banoi, the local tribes that were settled far from the resort practiced the art of cannibalism. These people were called the Kuruni. A scientist who had ventured among the tribe discovered the virus among the people, but it changed on a large scale." said Chase.

"From the notes and messages me and the other survivors could find, the scientists' found that the virus was unstable and was mutating on a level that was beyond anything they could have imagined due to environmental factors. Because of this mutation, the virus became full blown within hours instead of years. Most of the tribe was wiped out, those who were naturally immune had called those who were sick 'demons who had been possessed by evil' and were slaughtered." he went on.

"Then how did the virus spread across the island if the tribes were wiped out?" asked Rei.

Chase sighed sadly, "Even though some of the tribe lived to flourish once more, they continued to eat people as they had done for generations. It didn't take long before the virus overpowered their natural immunity and infected them. But this new mutation within Kuru effected their neurological structure much faster. Destroying brain proteins to the point were only the most basic of needs remained."

"Most basic of needs?" asked Takashi.

The american gave him a grim look, "The need to _eat_." the whole group shivered at the tone and felt fear slide up their spines.

"As for bringing the dead back...even in death our bodies still function on a small scale. The virus thrives in the brain which gives it the ability to mutate further to the point it can use the energy left over in the body to cause reanimation. Leaving the shell of a Human being nothing but a mindless cannibal. And since the people from the resort wandered deep into the jungle a lot..." he left it hanging in the air and they all got the message.

"That's how it started. And, well, you know my story already." Chase finished leaving those around him with disturbing thoughts.

"Can it be stopped?" asked Saya.

"The World Health Organization was working on a cure for it the last time I heard about it." Chase replied. "Some of their doctors took samples of my blood and the blood of the others who were immune to try and synthesize one incase the virus sprung up again." he looked out the window at all of the destruction that they passed. "I pray to god that they have one by now."

"That just leaves how the virus started here." said Saeko.

"I want to know too." said the american seriously. "As far as I know, there aren't any cannibal tribes in Japan. Which means something else may be at work here that we don't know. The asshole that detained me and the others after the Banoi incident wanted to weaponize the shit. Maybe that's something worth looking into if we make it through this."

The sound of clapping made them all turn to see Shido standing not far away. "I must say that was an impressive story." he said fixing his glasses. "To know that you have fought these monstrosities and lived once tells a lot. And an immunity? Also very interesting."

Rei gritted her teeth and clenched her hand around her 'spear'.

"You certainly know a lot about this plague." the teacher continued. "Perhaps...too much." he said narrowing his gaze.

"Yeah! How the hell do we know that HE isn't the one that spread all of this!" shouted one of the male students in the back making all the others agree with him.

"Chase wouldn't do that!" shouted Kohta. "He watched his parents killed by this shit! Why would he unleash something that nearly killed him too?"

"He's helped us survive thus far, he has earned our trust." said Saeko as the others also came to the american's defense.

"Still, it is a risk to have one such as him around." said Shido. "How do we know we can trust him? How much of his story is truth and how much is lies? It is obvious that he could be mentally deranged by the events that took place. Perhaps this virus is effecting him so that his so called 'immunity' cannot help him."

"I say we throw him off." said on of the males from the back standing up the others in his group getting up as well.

Takashi drew up his baseball bat as the others took up their own weapons. Shizuka pulled the bus over being unable to drive with what was going on behind her.

Shido smirked, "It seems that majority rules. This is a democracy after all. I'm afraid that Mr. Matthews will have to leave this transport. It really is for the best."

"The only one getting off this bus should be you _Shido_." Rei hissed.

Everyone paused when they heard chuckling. Chase stood up from his seat and faced the teacher and his 'followers'. "You know...I met a handful of people just like you on Banoi and Palanai." he said stepping into the isle and facing Shido. "Assholes with a Charles Manson complex that would take the fear and doubts of those around them and use it to control them like their puppets." he looked behind the teacher at his students.

"They're simply flocking to one that can give order in all this chaos." said Shido evenly. "Is it so bad that someone lead us through such horrible times?"

Chase narrowed his eyes, "You know, you talk about leading and creating order, when we both know that you're lying through your teeth." He took a step forward making everyone hold their breath. "Out of curiosity, I counted eight in your group when you ran for the bus...what happened to your missing student?"

All those gathered looked to each other confused. "Whatever do you mean?" asked Shido playing innocent.

"I saw what you did." said the american. "Poor bastard twisted his ankle and fell. He pleaded with you to help him. And what did you do? You kicked him in the face and left him r the walkers!"

Horrified gasps went through half the bus. "You monster!" shouted Rei.

"Shido-Sensei would never do that!" shouted one of the girls from the back.

"Right you are my dear." said Shido holding out his arms. "Our friend here is simply taking the attention off himself so that we don't exile him."

"And it's time to kick his ass out now!" shouted one of the boys lunging for Chase who got ready to defend himself.

The student was struck hard in the face and sent slamming into one of the windows. His nose shattered and face bloody as he groaned in pain.

Saeko shook the blood off her kendo stick and raised it in preparation for another attack. "None of you will lay a hand on him." she said icily. The others in their group standing around Chase with their weapons up ready to defend him.

"You guys know I had this right?" Chase asked smirking.

"Oh, we know. We just wanted to make our position known." said Kohta lining the sights of his nail gun on Shido's head.

Shido started to sweat, he was outnumbered and had no hope of regaining control of the situation with this group holding strong around the american. Even his followers wouldn't be able to help him take over. "There is no need for violence. I was merely looking out for the group's best interest." he said holding up his hands.

Takashi raised his bat and pointed it at the teacher's face. "I think you should leave. Obviously letting you on was a mistake."

"You can't just throw us out!" said the student still holding his nose.

"But you were so ready to throw out the only one that could help us through all this?" asked Saya incredentiously. "You're not nearly as smart as you make yourselves out to be."

"If you get moving fast enough the Zekes won't catch you...yet at least." said Chase darkly.

After a few minutes of threats and arguing, the other group was marched off the bus. Shizuka had mixed feelings about leaving these people to their fate. But they were going to throw Chase off when the only thing hes ever done is help them in any way he could.

Shido was the last, who was doing all in his power to change their minds. "I never took any of you for murderers." he said approaching the door. "But I guess the foreigner has turned you all into savages." he said glaring at the teen in question.

Chase got right into his face making Shido rear back a little. "You wanna know something fuck head?" In a flash he had the man by his throat, K-Bar to his jugular ready to slice at a moments notice. "Those assholes I mentioned before...I helped kill them. I'm not afraid to put down those who are a threat to the lives of others." he hissed.

Twisting the knife slightly so that a small trial of blood trickled down the shivering teacher's throat, the american spoke with so much venom a rattlesnake would have been proud. "Remember this moment, the moment where your life was in someone else's hands. Because if I ever see you again...I. Won't. _Hesitate._" with that he shoved the man hard sending him flying off the bus and landing hard on the ground.

Rei slammed the button sealing and locking the door as Shizuka began to drive off. Leaving Shido and his followers behind.

"You should have killed him." said Rei sitting down as everyone got comfortable again.

"I would have. But he was no longer a threat to us." said the american taking out a cigarette and his zippo. "Though I was serious about what would happen if we meet again." he sparked the lighter and took a long drag on the cancer stick, breathing the smoke out an open window.

The whole incident had brought up bad memories from the past. Images of Ryder White, Frank Serpo and the bitch Harlow that turned out to be a terrorist appeared in his mind's eye. And how they each tried to either kill or control him and the other immune for their own twisted reasons.

"Did you really kill people?" asked Saedo knocking him out of his thoughts.

Chase was silent a moment, "Yes." he said with no emotion. "Gangbangers, criminals, and terrorists who believed that they could kill, rape, and torture whoever they wanted." memories of someone he had grown close to back then came up before he buried it back down deep again. "I may have killed a lot of Zekes...but I've killed my fair share of living people as well. For the right reasons or not, that kind of thing changes you."

The silence that followed was rough. Everyone was thinking over Chase's words and wondering if he was right.

Saeko sat down next to the american like she had before. Crystal blue eyes watching him out of her peripheral vison. Both her respect, and interest in the survivor growing more and more.

"Before we go off and do anything else, we need to find a place to stay that's safe. Driving around in the dark with these things running around wouldn't work well in our favor." said Saya seeing the sun a few hours away from dipping into the horizon.

"Oh! We can stay at my girlfriends place!" said Shizuka. "It's a little ways from here and she's got guns and other stuff to fight these things."

"Sounds like a good idea to me." said Takashi

"We need to head to my place first." Chase said finishing his cigarette and flicking it out the window.

Saya scoffed, "What for? You have some kind of secret weapon or something?"

The american shook his head, "No, but I do have some supplies that would be helpful. Believe me when I say that we're going to need them."

The others nodded and Shizuka took the turn that would lead them to Chase's apartment complex.

**X**

This part of town was almost completely devoid of life, living or otherwise. Several cars were off the road, one of them on fire from its spot _inside_ a convenience store.

Bodies, blood and organs were scattered through the streets. Innocent people who had fallen to the zombies before they could find safety.

As the bus drove past, the survivors of Fujimi Academy couldn't help but look on in both disgust and horror at the devastation around them. "They never stood a chance." said Rei as they went by a car with the doors all open and blood dripping out on to the asphalt.

"We can't save the dead, we need to focus on the living." said Chase as Shizuka pulled them into the parking lot of his apartment building. He stood up and approached the door, "If I'm not back in 15 minutes, leave without me."

"You're going alone? Just how stupid are you?" asked Saya.

"She's right, we should come with you." said Takashi grabbing his bat.

Chase shook his head, "I'm faster on my own. And we need to make sure we have an exit strategy." he said stepping off the bus. Pulling out his K-Bar and fast-walking toward the entrance to the building as he kept a look out for any Zekes that could have been prowling around.

He reached the door without problems, bloody hand prints were on the glass on the other side from someone who attempted to escape.

Flipping the knife around in the reverse blade style, he grabbed the door and gently pulled it open making as little noise as possible as he slipped inside. Quickly searching the wrecked lobby for any movement as the door slowly closed behind him.

But the moment the door was about to latch it was blocked by something slipping through the closing gap.

Chase turned back to the door and was a little surprised to see Saeko use her kendo stick to reopen the door and step inside. "You truely didn't believe you would be going alone did you?" she asked now standing next to him.

The american sighed before smirking at the beautiful woman next to him. "Guess it was too much to hope for." he said as they began to head down the hallway before them and toward the elevator.

Pressing the button on the panel, Chase cursed when nothing happened. "Power's out. We'll have to take the stairs." he said heading to the stairwell door next to the elevator.

Easing the door open and closed behind them, the duo slipped into the stairwell and slowly made their way up each step. Being careful to make as little noise as they could while keeping their weapons ready incase something jumped out at them.

They remained silent. Anything they could have said would have echoed off the walls and alerted anything within.

Chase kept his knife in front of him in a CQC stance, eyes scanning every which was as they passed blood covered walls and barricaded doors that lead to the other levels. The next landing they came to had a body that was nothing more than a torso and a leg with blood pooling around it and dripping down the steps.

Saeko kept a perfectly straight face, but she was on high alert for any undead that might jump out at them at the last moment.

They reached his floor and found the door ripped off its hinges. Peeking out into the hall, Chase didn't see anything hostile and motioned for Saeko to follow him. "Do you think anyone made it out?" she whispered.

"Maybe." he said as they walked past an open apartment door. Inside a woman was feeding on the remains of her husband with her back turned to them. The image brought back more memories and had Chase frozen in place a moment.

Seeing the american's plight, Saeko gently shook his shoulder and snapped him out of it. He nodded his thanks before they slipped past and leaving the walker alone.

Reaching his door, Chase pulled out the keys and unlocked it before ushering the Bushido master inside and relocking it behind her. His apartment remained exactly the way he had left it. Sink still with dishes in it from breakfast, a couple empty Amp cans on the coffee table, nothing was out of place.

"Through here." he said heading toward the hallway. Saeko followed closely as he walked into his bedroom and knelt down next to the bed. A moment later pulling out a large foot locker and putting it on to the bed. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to dig into this again..." he muttered running his hands over the surface before going for the pad lock and entering the combination.

Looking around the room, Saeko saw two pictures on the table and approached them. She recognized Chase immediately in both. Albet he was a little younger in them, his features were very much visible.

The first was of him and what she believed to be his parents. He looked like a younger version of his father, but had his mother's eyes from what she could see.

The second photo was of him with a group of people, their names and an inscription on the bottom of the frame. Saeko realized that the people she was looking at where the other immune survivors that were with him on the islands. The ones that he worked together with in order to survive.

Chase got the lock open on the locker and opened it up. Inside was a cluster of items that would have revealed that the american was a lot more than what he seemed.

Inside laid a tan tactical vest that had been patched up in a few places with a two foot long machete in a sheath across the back, the handle sticking out over the right shoulder. The vest had multiple pockets ans satchels for just about anything the wearer could carry.

There was also two holsters of the same color as the vest that strapped to a person's thigh.

Removing the vest and holsters revealed the bottom of the locker which concealed two HK Mark 23 .45 ACP pistols with four boxes of ammo and ten spare clips neatly sorted and already filled with rounds.

On the other side of the locker laid a badly worn and old looking leather bound journal that Chase took out with the rest of the supplies and laid them all out on the bed. He walked over to his dresser and took out a pair of jeans, a black under armor shirt and a sleeveless black hoodie before returning to the bed and grabbing the vest and holsters.

"What is all this?" asked Saeko.

"Something I held on to when I got off of the islands." replied Chase. "Never hurts to be prepared, just incase." he gathered up his clothes and headed for the door. "I'll be right back." he said before leaving the room.

Saeko stood in silence, a little surprised at what she had witnessed but quickly over came it as she looked at the hardware laid out before her. Her eyes locking on to the journal that he had set out.

Curious, she set her kendo stick down and picked up the book. It had definitely seen better days. The thing looked like it had been through a warzone, thrown into the ocean, then buried in the ground for a couple years.

Flipping it open, she was shocked to see the pages and the contents of each one in good condition. Though she did notice a bit of damage on certain pages...along with what looked to be blood droplets on a few other.

Going through it, Seako saw that the first half was all about the Kuru virus. Lab reports, statements, eyewitness accounts, all cut out and taped to each page like a scrap book. After that was a data log of the creatures. Each undead had their own page, or pages, defining what they were, their strengths, weaknesses, and possible strategies to take them down with pictures of each one.

The sword fighting beauty was both in awe and horrified at what this virus had done to people. What it had turned them into and the death they caused because of it.

Halfway through the book, she saw pages with dates with Chase's handwriting below them. The first page she saw went like this;

_August 11, 2010_

_It had taken me a while to convince the others to let me go on their missions. I just feel so fucking useless here doing nothing but sit around and not doing anything that could benefit these people. _

_They told me I'm immune to this thing like they are. Maybe that's a sign that I can do more. And now I'm going to do everything that I can to make sure that as many people get out of this as possible._

_I miss mom and dad...seeing what happened to them still haunts my dreams. I can't even sleep very well since I was brought here wounded after mom bit me...I just can't believe that they're gone forever._

_When I find out who or what caused this, I'm going to make fucking sure that it doesn't hurt anyone else. And if I die in the process...then at least I can be with my family again. And if I happen to survive...then I don't know yet._

_Guess I'll have to wait and find out._

Saeko felt tears prickle at her eyes. What cruel monster would unleash something so horrible that it would tear everything people held dear to pieces?

Ever since all this started, she had looked into Chase's eyes and saw something that not many could pick up. His gaze held a burning determination that is only found in those who have suffered and endured great hardship. But also a barely contained fury that is caused by an innocence lost from unbelievable horrors and violence.

Chase Matthews truly was a survivor, and one that would go to the ends of the Earth to make sure that himself and others lived another day.

She looked up hearing heavy foot falls and saw Chase walked back into the room. Now decked out in his new outfit and gear. "I see you found my diary." he said grinning as he approached the bed and began looking over the Mark 23s.

"You kept this during your time on Banoi?" Saeko asked closing the book and putting it down gently.

"Palanai too." he replied finishing his inspection of the weapons and slipping them into the holsters on his thighs. "I kept a log so that anyone who questioned me or the others about what happened would believe us. Now we can use it to our advantage against the Zekes."

After filling the slots and packs on the vest with clips for his pistols. Chase walked over to the closet and pulled out a backpack. Filling it with the spare ammo and putting the journal in it as well. He led Saeko back out to the living room and into the kitchen where he took out multiple energy drinks, power bars and other assorted snacks for the others.

Pack now full, Chase slung it over his shoulder and motioned for Saeko to follow him again. They headed to the front door, but stopped when Chase pulled open the closest by the door and started rummaging through it.

A moment later he came back out holding a metal bow staff. The metal looked to have been recently repaired and the leather grip in the middle looked brand new. But Saeko could make out dried black spots close to where the grip was situated that looked to be old stains.

"Hello old friend." he said to the staff before slipping it into his vest and heading back to the door. "We got another three minutes left, we better hurry."

Saeko gripped her kendo stick, "Right." she said as they entered the hallway once more. Following their original path silently and slipping back out the front door.

The bus was still waiting for them as they climbed on. The others shocked to see Chase's new attire as Shizuka pulled them out of the parking lot and back on to the road.

"Anyone hungry or thirsty?" the american asked passing out drinks and snacks.

"Thanks man, I'm starving!" said Kohta pounding down a couple power bars and knocking back an Amp.

"Did you get everything you needed?" asked Rei looking at his new hardware.

Chase nodded, reaching into his bag and pulling the old journal out. Saya snatched it up and began thumbing through it. Her eyes widening more and more with each turn of the page. "This...This is..."

"A way to help us fight these freaks." said Chase grinning as the others crowded around to get a better look._"It's a start, but maybe with a little luck we just might be able to pull through this shit after all." _he thought to himself.

**X**

_**"...right, to think I actually believed that in the beginning. How the hell was I suppose to know that things were going to become a shit-ton more complicated than I could ever realize?"**_

_**"Regardless we were on the only path that was open to us, and we had to just go with the flow and hope for the best at the time."**_

_**"But I did notice something else change after that little side trip. Saeko began looking at me a little more differently, and a lot more frequently. I could never read her emotions well with that passive expression she wears a lot of the time. I wanted to get inside her head and know what was going on with her."**_

_**"If only I knew that I'd get my wish a little sooner than I realized..."**_

**A/N: And there you have it, the ground work has been laid for the rest of the story to pick up. And for the record, Kuru is an actual disease. You should look it up, it's some pretty sick shit. **

**And I have mentioned before, but I'll say it again incase no one caught it. The storyline for HOTD will be changing dramatically in several areas. And I know a lot of you wanted to see Shido dead right off the bat, believe me I wanted to write the fucker off myself, but that will come into play later. (Trust me guys, he'll get his...)**

**Till next time guys.**

**(P.S. To my Crysis Effect fans, the update will come within the next day or so. I had it fully written out but something happened to the file and it deleted itself, so I had to rewrite it from scratch all over again. Sorry bout that guys!)**


	5. Nightfall

**A/N: What's up boys and girls!**

**I've spent a good amount of time combing over Dead Island and HOTD to get as accurate as I can with most things. Though like many of you may know, I do my best to try and make things as original as I can. Mostly it's because things get repetitive that way, but it's also that I prefer coming up with my own material while adding on an existing storyline.**

**Of course...90% of the people on this site do the exact same thing. But I prefer to do things that no one else has thought of yet. **

**Anyway, with this fic I've already mentioned that things will be changing. Some of those changes will be huge and you'll least expect them. While others you will see coming a mile away. Regardless, the HOTD storyline will remain that way it was created. But in the coming two chapters...I'm really going to try and shake things up a little. I'll let you be the judges.**

**Disclaimer:...can't afford it...can't own it.**

_**"Every bridge leading out had either been blocked off, destroyed or completely grid-locked for miles. So the only thing we could do was find shelter and look for another way at daybreak. Finding a way out of the city and locating everyone's families had been harder than fighting the Zekes."**_

_**"With no other options, we had to leave the bus trapped within miles worth of traffic and make the rest of the journey to Shizuka's friend's place on foot. Sticking to side streets and staying off the main roads as much as possible."**_

_**"The sheer amount of people and the amount of noise everyone was making was bad. It would attract every damn Zeke within miles and they'd come looking for their next meal which sadly was all lined up for them."**_

_**"And our little group didn't have nearly enough strength to fend off a large scale horde."**_

_**"After walking a couple miles, we found the place Shizuka was telling us about. It was a decent house, and with this kind of set up most of us were wondering what this friend of hers did for a living."**_

_**"But at the time none of us could complain, as long as we had a roof over our heads and some time to rest that's all that mattered."**_

**X**

The large house was a pretty decent set up, and more than enough for the seven survivors as they made themselves at home. It had two levels with three bedrooms, a large kitchen that was fully stocked and a good sized bathroom, and plenty of space for all of them to relax and gain back their strength.

And there was a military grade Hummer parked in a driveway just outside the two meter tall walls that surrounded the property that would defiantly make the rest of their trip easier.

Almost immediately after settling in, the girls stuck a claim on the bathroom and disappeared within almost half an hour ago. Since then Takashi, Chase and Kohta had been hearing loud giggling, shrieks of embarrisment...and a lot of moaning from behind the locked door.

"Sounds like they're having fun." said Takashi as the three of them worked on opening a gun locker that had been set up in the master bedroom.

"Think we should sneak a peek? You realize that we pretty much have to, right?" asked Kohta grinning.

"Dude, if you wanna get you balls ripped off before being beaten to death than be my guest." said Chase jamming the crowbar they'd been using into the door of the locker. "But me, I'd prefer to keep my boys attached for the time being."

They grabbed the crowbar together, and after a count of three they managed to wrench the heavy steel door open revealing multiple weapons inside. "Jackpot!" said Chase grinning

Kohta looked star struck as he started going through the guns with a manic look that any gun nut would have seeing such powerful weapons.

Chase shook his head at his friend's antics. He hadn't seen Kohta this excited since he showed him his Mark 23s after he got back aboard the bus when they left his apartment building.

After a long explanation of each weapon and their best uses, the three of them all sat down and began loading the clips one by one. "You really worked with someone from america's Delta Force?" asked Takashi after Kohta explained how he knew so much about guns.

"Oh yeah, guy really knew his stuff. Said I was a natural with a firearm." said the chubby teen setting aside a full clip and filling another one.

"Still as impressive as the first time you told me." said Chase tinkering with the sights on the crossbow. "And it'll all come in handy now that this part of the world's gone to shit."

Takashi looked at the american as he finished helping Kohta."How do you do it?" he asked the older teen after a little while.

Chase looked up at him, "Do what?" he asked back taking a drink from an Amp he had cracked open nearby.

"This...Going through all this shit and keeping a level head. Being able to come up with plans on the fly and not being afraid." clarified Takashi. Kohta perked up also wanting to know.

The american chuckled, "You think I'm not afraid? Takashi, I'm down right terrified." he said shocking the other boys. "But fear is a luxury that I can't afford to enjoy. To get through something like this, you have to push your fear so far from your mind that the only thing you can focus on is what's happening around you."

Chase looked him in the eye and was nothing but serious, "In a situation like this...there is nothing fair about who lives and who dies. Your morals and ethics mean jack shit when it comes to Zekes, or the people out there who think they can do whatever they want because it's the end of the world. You open up the door for someone to offer them salvation and it just gives them a shorter knife to stab you in the back."

Takashi and Kohta were silent as he continued, "You have to ask yourself an important question when faced with all of this. 'Do I want to survive?' To do that you have to do whatever it takes to make sure that everything and everyone you hold dear lives to see another day..._whatever_ it takes..." he said grimly.

"I..." Takashi was a little speechless. Could he do what the american was saying? Give up his morals and be willing to do what it took to keep the others and himself alive?

Chase leaned back in his seat, eyes glancing out the window of the sliding glass door. "You wanna know my secret." he said getting the other teens' attention. "The only reason I made it through everything that happened back then was because I had nothing to really live for. There was no guarantee that we'd live long enough for help to arrive, or for us to discover a way off the islands. A large part of me died when I saw my own mother eating my dad as proof of that logic."

"It was then that I realized that the only way to survive in a world like this is to do whatever it took to make it by each day. If that meant wiping out Zekes and securing a safe house, or killing corrupt assholes who only cared for themselves instead of the good of others, then that is what needed to be done...just like right now."

The american smiled sadly, "Believe it or not. Making sure you guys survive this is the only thing that matters to me right now. Cuz, to be honest, I have nothing left to go back to when this is all over."

"That's not true." Chase and Takashi looked at Kohta who was just as serious as his friend was. "After everything that's happened, we all realized that none of us would have even made it this far without you. You're important to us, not just as someone with prior knowledge about _them_, but because you throw yourself into hell just so that we're safe."

Kohta grinned. "Whether you believe it or not, we're your friends Chase. And you can also believe that you can count on us just as much." he said giving a thumbs up.

The survivor smiled back, "Thanks." he said honestly before looking back out the window in though.

Several more minutes had passed and the guys could hear the girls getting more rowdy downstairs, At more than one point they heard someone shouting about breasts. "They're getting loud..." muttered Kohta.

"We're good." said Chase from the balcony where he and Takashi were looking through binoculars toward the crowded bridge. "It's not our noise the Zekes are going after." said the american as he watched several groups of walkers moving amongst the gridlocked cars and toward the police blockade. A few groups on the ground feeding on unfortunate people who had been taken down before they could get away.

"It hasn't even been two days...just what the hell is going on out there?" said Takashi. "It's like a damn horror movie." he passed the binoculars to Kohta who looked out into the distance while he went back inside.

"Looks like a scene from 'Apocalypse Now'." said the chubby teen.

Chase looked along the bridge to the blockade and spotted something. "On the far right." he said having Kohta follow his line of sight. " You see that?"

"What is it?" asked Takashi.

"Turn on the tv." said Kohta.

Switching on the nearby plasma screen, the three of them watched a live news broadcast of what was happening at the bridge leading over the river. Protesters were all over the place while the police attempted to maintain order of the situation. Mentioning things like 'Killer Pandemic' and whether or not the world governments were going to do something to help them.

"So they believe it's a biological weapon too." said Chase about the protesters while crossing his arms.

"Yeah, but you got proof that it might actually be that." said Takashi as they continued to watch.

They saw a woman carrying her child down the bridge while cops shot the walkers around her. The child suddenly sprang back to life and ripped a chunk out of the woman's neck and spraying blood everywhere.

Collapsing to the ground, the woman quickly bled to death as her undead daughter began feeding on the remains. People along the blockade could only watch in horror as the mother slowly staggered to what was left of her feet before a cop managed to put her down.

From the line of cars, three Infected ran toward the blockade screaming before several gunshots silenced them. The lead protester spoke about the police killing innocent people and rallying those behind him to agree.

With the situation on the bridge about to turn into a full-scale riot, the commanding police officer began speaking with the leader of the group who refused to listen to his words. Everything came to a screeching halt when the officer in charge raised his weapon and blew the mans brains out on live tv and in front of countless spectators.

The three teens watched as everyone on screen went crazy with fear and began running in all directions. Someone slammed into the camera guy and it went blank. "We need to get the fuck outta here." said Takashi turning the tv off.

"Don't have to tell me twice." said Chase. "Though we should wait until morning, bastards have a better advantage at night."

Kohta nodded in agreement, "He's right, and you don't want them to reach out and grab you out of the dark like-" the teen stopped seeing two arms snake out around Takashi before Shizuka leaned out and held on to him tightly. Her large breasts threatening to pop out of the towel barely covering her form.

"Ta-ka-shi." she cooed reaching down to the front of this pants.

He quickly stopped her from grabbing him just as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Takashi spun around and pushed her away...only for his hands to accidentally grope her well endowed chest making her moan.

"S-Sorry!" he sputtered and quicky backing off. Chase was trying his damnest not to laugh while Kohta was struck speechless.

"S-Shizuka...are you drunk?" Takashi asked as she started rubbing his shoulders.

"Ohh...just a bit..." she said slurring a little as she leaned down to hug him. She looked up and smiled before crawling across the bed toward Kohta. "Kohta...you're such a good boy, so you'll get a reward." with that she kissed his cheek causing the bespectacled teen to turn beat red and rocket back with a nose bleed.

Shizuka looked over to Chase who had started laughing and smiled sinfully, "Oh Chase...I haven't forgotten you either."

The american grinned, "That's okay Shizuka. I think Takashi deserves a bigger reward than me." he said heading toward the stairs.

"You're right!" the blonde exclaimed before glomping on to the startled teen.

"Wh-What! No! Chase you suck you know that!" Takashi yelled out making said teen laugh his ass off all the way down the steps.

Along the way, he saw Rei heading up. "Chase, you seen Takashi?" she asked. Chase could smell the alcohol on her breath and saw the pink in her cheeks. She wasn't as smashed as Shizuka, but enough to make her a little shaky on her feet.

He pointed over his shoulder back up and she continued on her way. The american shook his head as he headed down to the lower level to grab a bite to eat.

**X**

Reaching the bottom step, the american looked into the living room and saw Saya on the couch wearing a tight tank top and short shorts. Fast asleep with his journal laying open face down on the floor.

She'd spent every spare moment she could combing over the information he had stored within it. Learning everything she could on the Kuru virus and it's effects on people. The different classifications of the zombies and their weaknesses should they encounter any more of the mutated undead.

Picking up the book and setting it on the coffee table, Chase sighed. "Three guys in a house with four gorgeous women with bodies that would keep you hard for a week straight...this is the making of a damn good porno." he muttered as he headed for the kitchen and cracked open the fridge as he heard the sound of cooking an Saeko humming. "It smells good in here, Saeko." he said digging around and pulling out a bottle of water.

"It should be ready soon, as well as tomorrow's lunch." said the bushido beauty as she cooked.

Chase leaned out of the fridge smiling, "Well whatever it is, I'm sure we'll-" He stopped and stared...and stared...and stared. His face burning red with each passing second.

Saeko was standing at the stove with her hair done up in a long pony tail with two strands framing her face. Wearing nothing but a small black thong and a white apron that barely covered her luscious curves.

_"...oh...sweet mary mother of god, please tell me I'm not dreaming..."_ he though trying hard not to let his eyes roam too much.

"Chase, is there something wrong?" she asked innocently.

"Uhh, no. Nothing's wrong...but I gotta ask. What's with the outfit?" asked the american trying to hide his obvious arousal seeing such a beautiful woman dressed that way.

Saeko blinked, "Oh this?" she said stretching the apron out near her breasts. "Well there wasn't anything in my size, so I'm just wearing this until the laundry is done." she said smoothing it out a little and accentuating her curves even more. "Though, I suppose it is a little revealing."

_"A LITTLE revealing? She looses either one of those and...SHIT! Think unsexy thoughts! Think unsexy thoughts!" _"Well...you look really good." he managed to choke out.

Saeko blushed at the compliment, "Thank you, Chase. You've done so much in looking out for us." she said kindly. "That makes you a worthy and honorable man in my eyes."

"It was a group effort, Saeko." said Chase. "I just have a little extra experience to back up my skills."

At that moment Takashi walked into the kitchen after getting Shizuka down stairs and laid her on the living room floor. He stopped in mid-step and his jaw hit the floor seeing Saeko in her outfit. "You're gonna catch flies doing that man." said Chase taking another drink of his water while Saeko giggled.

The sound of her laugh got the american's heart hammering. And he couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, Takashi! Listen to me!" Rei shouted from the top of the stairs snapping the boy out of his stupor. "Takashi!" she shouted a little louder.

"You may wanna go tend to her, Takashi." said Saeko turning back to the meal she was preparing. "Girls want to be gently embraced during uncertain times."

Takashi looked up at the stairs when Rei called out to him again. "Takashi, get up there and find out what she wants before her voice brings a horde of Zekes knocking on our door." said Chase a little irritated at the inebriated girl's yells.

With a sigh, the boy went back up the stairs leaving the two alone again in silence.

"So, 'girls like to be embraced in uncertain times' huh?" said Chase looking at Saeko who paused in her stirring.

"It has been a hard day. Everyone needs someone to be there for them to overcome what has happened." she said calmly.

"What about you?" asked the american setting his drink down and standing next to her.

Saeko blushed a little but smiled. "My training allows me to overcome the horrors we've seen. I'm able to suppress my emotions when we are in combat to focus on our enemies." she admitted going back to her cooking.

A hand gently gripped her upper arm, she turned to Chase and saw him looking at her with a serious expression that left her perplexed.

In the next moment the half-naked woman was wrapped in a pair of strong arms and pulled into a warm chest. Chase kept his arms around her upper back and didn't move them anywhere else as he embraced her. While at the same time trying to ignore the fact that her bare breasts were almost slipping out of the apron between them.

Saeko's face grew hot from the closeness with the survivor. Her ear and hands pressed to his chest as the beat of his heart was heard clearly.

"A good friend once told me, that even the strong need a shoulder to lean on every once in a while." he said resting his chin on top of her head. "You live up to your samurai heritage well, Saeko. But even the greatest of warriors need to be told that everything's going to be alright."

The woman's face grew hotter at the obvious compassion in his voice, a smile tugging at her lips at how open and caring he was under the rough surface he built around himself. It made her feel special...and warm.

"SHUT UP!" Takashi roared from the top of the steps making the two in the kitchen step away from each other and look up as the talk between Takashi and Rei drastically changed.

"Seems that they are working out their issues." said Saeko as she got her blush under control.

"Yeah, hopefully they get through it. Because the tension between them is damn near suffocating." said Chase shaking his head. He looked at the woman next to him and blushed a little. "I better go and look over our supplies. If we have to bail out it would be good to make sure that we have everything that we'll need."

Saeko nodded in agreement as the american turned to leave. "Chase." she said making him stop and look back. She smiled warmly at him, "Thank you." He smiled back and went to head into the living room when they both heard the barking of a small dog from close by outside.

"That sounded like a dog." said Chase before going up the stairs two at a time, passing by Rei and Takashi who were in a compromising position as he entered the second floor and stepped out on to the balcony where Kohta was still keeping watch. "Ko, what's going-"

Kohta held up his hand making him pause. "This is bad." he said grimly.

Walking over to the railing, Chase looked down into the street. A little white dog stood in front of the Hummer next to the house and was barking as a group of walkers shuffled down the road. Moving past the small animal as though it wasn't even there as they continued their march.

Takashi stepped out on to the balcony next and stood with the other two as more walkers moved down the road from where the bridge was located, the sounds of screaming and gunfire echoing across the water telling them that the people on the bridge were being attacked.

Kohta looked through the scope of one of the rifles they had found as gunshots were heard down the street. But the shots eventually came to an abrupt end and was followed by screams of horror and agony as whoever was shooting was eaten alive.

People who had gotten away from the bridge were fighting the undead. And from the sounds of things they were losing. "This...This is horrible!" said Takashi shaking. "We have to do something!" he spun and stomped his way to the door.

"And what would that be?" asked Chase calmly. "You go out there the fucking Zekes will tear you apart. You fire any of the guns we got they'll swarm you like bugs." he looked at the boy who was still shaking in anger. "Remember what I told you earlier. You can't save everyone, Takashi. And if you do...can you even trust them when we let them into our safe house?"

The american walked past Takashi into the house and turned down the lights. The other teen looked at the floor as Chase's words from before kept ringing in his head. "I'm not asking you to like it." Chase said heading back out on to the balcony. "But you have to consider the fact that we are a group. We can't make rash decisions that could put everyone at risk."

"I thought you'd think about this differently." Takashi said making Chase pause mid-step.

"I'm a lot of things, Takashi." the survivor said with a hollow tone. "Being cold-hearted is not one of them. But in a reality like this, you have to know when to bury your emotions for the sake of those you're protecting." he looked back at the other boy, "I have the blood on my hands and the nightmares as a testament to that."

The three of them stood back on the balcony and watched the streets below. More survivors attempted to find salvation only to be viciously brought down and devoured. Looking through his rifle scope, Kohta saw a kid no older than any of them grabbed by a Thug and had his head ripped off. The large zombie then dove its face into the corpses gushing neck and began to eat as several walkers began to chew on the legs suspended above the ground.

Another survivor ran as fast as he could only for an Infected to fly out of a dark alley and tackle them to the ground before it started ripping their throat out.

Takashi gritted his teeth as he looked through a pair of binoculars at the death going on around them. "This...this is hell." he hissed.

"No." said Chase lowering his own binoculars, "This is only the second gate. I don't think any of us should be around when we get to the eighth and ninth."

Kohta searched the street when he saw a man pulling along a little girl who looked no older than seven or eight. They turned into a nearby yard and began pounding on the door to the house. The man, which must have been the girl's father, was shouting at the people within to let them inside while several walkers close by heard the commotion and were beginning to make their way in their direction.

Just as the man was about to bash the door open with the wrench he was carrying. The door opened...only for a large knife at the end of a pole to be driven into his chest.

Chase watched this with gritted teeth as the man stumbled back and collapsed on to the ground bleeding heavily as his daughter began crying hysterically. The people in the house just closed and relocked the door as walkers began to converge on the property.

"They left her to die!" exclaimed Takashi.

The sound of a bolt being pulled back registered as Kohta lined up a shot. "Let's rock and roll!" he shouted pulling the trigger.

Down below, just as two walkers entered the yard and went for the crying girl one of them had half it's face blown off from the shot fired. The second quickly joining the first.

"For an amateur getting head shots using someone else's gun, I really am a genius when it comes to this." said Kohta as he lined up another shot and fired. He kept shooting until every walker in the direct vicinity was down and out. The white dog they had seen before running down the street and into the yard where the girl was hiding.

Takashi looked to Chase, "What were you saying about burying emotions?"

The american looked at him seriously before smirking, "I think we'll make an exception this time." he said making Takashi smirk back. Chase turned to Kohta. "Ko, keep an overwatch position. We're going on a rescue op. Make sure she's safe until we get there." he said serious.

"Gotcha man. Don't worry, I got this." said the gun-nut firing three quick shots.

A Thug who had started getting too close to the open gate fell with three large holes in its head while the girl huddled in the corner of the walled off yard with the dog standing in front of her and growling. "Someone help me..." she whimpered with tears streaming down her young face.

**X **

Rei and Saeko looked up when Chase and Takashi came down stairs. "Where are you going?" asked Rei seeing Chase pulling on his tactical vest.

"We're saving a little girl that's out there." said Takashi picking up a crowbar.

"Th-Then I'll come too." said Rei.

"No." Chase said loading clips into his pistols and holstering them. "We need you guys here watching the gate incase everything falls apart." he looked at Takashi, "Take the bike, you'll reach her faster. I'll move from the shadows, with any luck I'll draw most of the Zekes away so you two can make a run for it."

"Then how will you escape?" asked Takashi.

The american picked up the backpack from his apartment and reached inside. A pulling out three one foot long metal tubes with caps on both ends with a large fuse on one of said ends. "I have a plan for that too." he said grinning.

"A-Are those pipe bombs!" Takashi said with his mouth hanging open. Rei doing the same not realizing that their friend had ordinance.

"A side project I got good at on Benoi." said Chase stashing the bombs in a satchel on his vest. "I could only make three with the resources I had back at my place. But they'll leave one hell of a mess when they go off."

Saeko tilted her head, "I never saw you take them out from anywhere." she said thinking back to when they were in his apartment.

"I already had them packed and stashed away. Having homemade explosives on hand is kind of taboo anywhere in the world." said the american.

"What were you preparing for to have made something like those in your spare time?" asked Takashi.

Chase looked out the window and said nothing at first. "Part of me believed that this shit with the Kuru virus was far from over. Me and the others had several people come after us more than once because of our immunity, and somehow I knew that it was only a matter of time before someone came after me. It was an instinct I just couldn't shake. So I made sure I had a few things stashed away just incase. Guess it was worth it in some ways."

"Who do you think is after you?" asked Saeko a little concerned.

The survivor shook his head, "That's for another time, right now we have someone to save."

Rei snapped out of it and shook her head, "Wait a minute. You should-" "Let them go."

The group looked at Saeko who was holding her kendo stick with her arms under her breasts. A knowing smile on her face. "It's a man's decision. So let them go."

Chase nodded as he and Takashi headed for the door, "You guys got this?" he asked as they passed by her.

Saeko spun her wooden sword and struck a pose, "We'll protect this place. No matter what happens. Just be sure to make it back here." she said smirking.

Takashi dimmed the lights as Rei approached him, "Takashi, good luck." she said smiling. The boy smiled back as he pulled the door open and the four of them stepped outside. Chase grabbed his bow staff on the way out and spun it once before slipping it into its place on his back.

It was time to play.

**X**

_**"I can understand why many would consider me a hypocrite after the long speech I gave the guys about what it would take for us to survive. But this was the life of an innocent little girl that hung in the balance, and that was something that none of us could just stand by and do nothing."**_

_**"And Takashi and I were going to make damn sure that she made it out of this. No matter how many Zekes stood in our way."**_

_**"But the problem isn't the number of enemies you face...it's the strength of a select few that you never expected to be there. And I couldn't help but think that something was very wrong, almost as if a dark shadow was casting over this already full-scale nightmare."**_

_**"I didn't think of it completely at the time. I mean honestly..."**_

**X**

A lone man kept running. Breathing heavily as he pumped his burning legs to go faster and faster. Blood covering his entire form while his eyes were wide with fear.

"How could something like that be real!" he said ducking into an alley and putting his back to the wall. "I-I-I-It killed them...like they were bugs..." he said remembering the people who had been with him as he quivered in terror while trying to catch his breath.

Slowly, he peeked around the corner. He hadn't heard the heavy footsteps in a while and finally felt that he had escaped it.

He let out a breath just as the wall down the alley exploded outward in a shower of just and bricks. The man leapt to his feet as the terror returned full force. "How did it find me!" he said as he began to start running again.

The man barely made it five feet before something that felt like a wrecking ball slammed into his back and sent him crashing into a parked car. He screamed in agony as both his legs, his arm and half his ribs were shattered on impact.

Through his agony, he heard the loud _'THUMP, THUMP,' _of his pursuer's heavy footsteps. A large form blocked out the street light above, standing almost seven feet tall with a bald head, arms trapped within a heavy kevlar straight jacket that didn't hinder it at all.

It's lower face was hidden behind a mask. But two large, crimson red eyes that were blood-shot leered down at the crushed man with something akin to fury and hunger.

As the survivor gave one last groan, the large creature lifted its foot and crushed his skull like a raisin before turning and walking off in a random direction. It stopped in the middle of the road when the sounds of gunfire and a dog barking echoed down the street.

The creature turned around and began stomping its way toward the source, leaving the corpse of its last victim to a group of walkers to feed on as it looked for new prey.

**X**

_**"...how could I have known that things would degrade that fast?"**_

**A/N: Cliffhanger, you hate them, but we can't live without them! Brownie points to anyone who can figure out what these guys will be facing very soon. The real question is with they'll save the girl before it arrives...see ya nex time!**


	6. Dead Run

**A/N: After the way I left the last chapter the way I did I couldn't help but get this next chapter out quick to really lay the ground work for what is to come. And for those of you guessing what is coming you'll find your answer soon enough. **

**So I'm not going to be leaving you guys waiting any more for this one.**

**Disclaimer: Nothings changed...**

_**"Night time...by far the worst possible time to wander around with Zekes about. The bastards didn't need their eyes in order to seek you out. Your sounds and even your scent can bring them running depending on the level of mutation."**_

_**"Yet me and Takashi were about to throw ourselves into a crowd of the fuckers to save a little girl's life. Was it crazy? Fuck yes. Was it the right thing to do? You're goddamn right it was. And that's why we were doing it."**_

_**"Though...with how things can quickly go to hell. Takashi and I should have plotted our strategy a little more differently."**_

**X**

The crisp night air was permeated with the smell of decay. The number of undead in the streets outside the walled off yard of the home the group took refuge in was growing steadily from the run off around the bridge. And the sound of Kohta's rifle registering as he kept the little girl safe wasn't making things any better.

Takashi hopped on to the back of a bike that had been parked in the back of the house and quickly familiarized himself with how it functioned. Chase sat nearby, a thick magazine in his hand as he wrapped it around his forearm and used a roll of duct tape to strap it down tight.

"What are you doing?" asked Takashi as he put the keys into the bike's ignition.

"A little something my pal Logan came up with back in the day." said the american walking up to his friend and wrapping a second magazine around his arm and duct taping it in place.

Takashi looked at the reading material around his arm before looking at Chase questioningly.

Chase rolled his eyed before bringing Takashi's arm up as though he were blocking and put it close to his mouth. "Home made Zeke armor. One get's too close you can block the bite and not worry about it getting through."

The other boy grinned, "Awesome. Though it won't help if we get swarmed."

"That's why we're splitting up." said Chase. "There are a lot of high walls around here that I can climb up on to. The Zekes will be attracted to the sound of the bike almost instantly, but the moment you reach the girl I'll draw them away."

Takashi shook his head, "Then you'll be trapped."

The american grinned and took out one of his pipe bombs. "That's where these come in. One will blow a bunch of these fuckers apart. A second will make us a path big enough to get back to the house."

"Just try not to relay on your guns." said Saeko as she and Rei finished setting up the small ramp at the end of the driveway for the duo to make their move. "If you shoot, they'll swarm around you."

Chase took out his bow staff and spun it, "That's why I got this and my machete. I'll only use my pistols if there's no other option. And with Kohta running overwatch we should be good. He looked around and sighed after a bit, "Though there is another problem."

"What problem?" asked Rei.

"The moment we get the girl back here the damn Zekes will swarm around the place. And there isn't enough firepower to take them all down should they breach the gate." said the american.

"Couldn't you make more of those bombs?" asked Takashi pulling on a pair of gloves.

Chase shook his head, "Not enough resources. As much as it sucks...we'll have to vacate this place ASAP when we rescue the girl." he said evenly. "Hopefully, with the Zekes distracted with us it'll give you all time to gather up our supplies and move them to the Hummer next to the property."

Everyone fell silent, it was a huge risk but there weren't any other options should they succeed. "We'll start packing the supplies the moment you're out there." said Saeko.

"Please be careful." said Rei.

"We'll be fine Rei. Don't worry so much." said Takashi turning the key and switching the bikes headlight on as he waited for the go ahead. Chase stood next to the gates as the girls removed the last of the blockade they'd set up earlier.

With one final nod, Takashi turned the bike on and revved the engine. Evey zombie within hearing distance perked up hearing the small motor just as the girls pulled the gates open. Takashi rocketed down the cement hit the ramp, launching over the heads of the undead beyond before touching down and taking off down the street to where the little girl was located.

Distracted, the undead didn't notice Chase slip out of the gates before they were sealed again from the inside. He began to pick his way around the gathering horde, sticking to the shadows as they slowly shuffled after the bike as Takashi kept moving, weaving in and around zombies as he kept moving forward.

"What the hell's going on?" asked Saya coming down the steps back at the house.

"Something wonderful." said Rei smiling.

The pinkette genius raised an eyebrow, "What."

"We realized we're still Human." said the other girl smiling wider.

Kohta's rifle registered again and again as he took down any of the undead that was in Takashi's way.

Chase pulled himself up on to one of the walls surrounding one of the nearby houses and moved across quickly. Getting a good look at what they were dealing with as went from yard to yard as he tried to remain as silent as possible.

When he was far enough away from the house and the little girl, he dropped down into an empty yard with the gate still open, he pulled out his bow staff as the three walkers that were already there turned and made their way toward him. With a smirk, the american swung the metal staff and struck the first in the side of the head sending it crashing headfirst into the wall where it laid motionless.

The remaining two got close enough to grab him, but Chase dropped to the ground and struck their legs with his staff. Shattering their knees and dropping them to the ground long enough for him to stop on their heads. "Now time for the _fun_ part." he muttered as he banged his staff against a clothesline stand sending out a loud ring.

All the remaining walkers that had shuffled after Takashi stopped dead and turned around to go after the closer sound.

Chase kept smacking his staff against the pole until he saw the first few walkers starting to enter the yard through the open gate. "That's it morons. Come and get me." he said as he kept making noise.

The yard began to fill up fast, every walker in the area pouring into the place as they began to converge on the survivor who waited for the right moment before springing in to action.

Just as the first few undead reached out for him, Chase bolted for the wall. Leaping up on to the ledge and beginning to pull himself up when an Infected got through the crowd and ran toward the american. Growling and snarling as it grabbed his leg and tried to pull him down.

Chase held tight on to the ledge as he brought his foot up and slammed it down on the fast zombie's head and knocking it back into the wall of walkers that was still closing in on him.

Pulling himself up the rest of the way. He tiptoed his way around the property, avoiding the rotting hands that were reaching for him as he hopped down outside in the street. Bolting toward the still open gate where he slammed the thing shut, picking up a nearby pipe and sliding it through the handles to keep it sealed.

The walkers that were trapped inside banged on the gate, rattling it on its hinges as they tried to get at their meal. "That's not gonna last long, better hurry." he said taking out his staff and smashing the skull in of a nearby walker before making a b-line to where Takashi was headed.

**X**

Despite wiping out when the bike hit the dead body of a walker. Takashi was unharmed as he sealed the gate back to the street before taking his crowbar to the two undead that were trying to get at the little girl. Caving their skulls in quickly and ensuring her safety for the time being.

"You're doing great. Just hold on for a little while longer." Takashi said as the girl looked up at him with wide, tear filled eyes. He turned and went back to taking down a few more walkers that came from around the house.

Unknown to him, an Infected came around the corner, red eyes leering at his back as it shook with an unknown rage that its kind were known for. Takashi took down another walker, not knowing of the imminent danger as the fast zombie began sprinting toward him.

"BEHIND YOU!" the girl screamed.

Takashi spun around just as the Infected crashed into him, knocking them both to the ground casing his crowbar to be tossed to the ground nearby.

The teen struggled as the vicious undead attempted to claw at his face while snapping at him with its bloody jaws. He brought his arm up just as it snapped down, teeth sinking into the make shift armor Chase had made for him and stopping it from tearing out the flesh of his arm.

Reaching back, he grabbed on to his dropped crowbar before lashing forward. Sinking the hook end into the Infected's skull causing it to seize a moment before going completely still.

Sighing in relief, Takashi shoved the corpse off of him before looking down at the now slightly torn magazine around his forearm. "That was too close." he muttered before going to check on the girl and make sure that she was alright.

**X**

Kohta raised the rifle and grinned, "Nice work guys." he said reloading the rifle.

"Hirano!" the chubby teen turned around and immediately felt blood rush to his face and nose seeing Saya dressed in her tight tank top and short shorts standing next to a completely naked Shizuka who was rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Sh-Shizuka!" he said in shock and awe.

"Get ready to leave. There's no way we can stay here after all this commotion!" Saya ordered tying her hair up in its usual style. "Start packing the moment you ready to move." she said snapping the gun-nut out of his fantasy and getting a nod.

After gathering their supplies, and getting the nurse to put on clothes, the girls started thinking of ways to get everything to the Hummer with the walkers being outside.

"We can get to the car right now since they're all focused on Takashi and Chase." said Saeko from her perch on top of one of the gate posts."

Saya leaned out and paled a little seeing so many undead gathered around the gate where Takashi had went. "What's he planning to do? He can't use the bike to get back anymore. And where he hell is Chase?"

"He's making his way there now. I saw something moving along the walls several times and a few walkers dropping in its wake." said Rei.

"We could go and get them." said Shizuka pulling on a white button up shirt that barely contained her breasts.

The other girls looked at her oddly making her blush, "D-Did I say something strange? I mean...we have the keys, so..."

"No, it's a good idea." said Seako smirking.

"Well, it's decided!" said Saya. "After we rescue Takashi and Chase, we'll head for the other side of the river!"

**X**

Back with Takashi, him and the little girl were looking down at the body of her father. "...Daddy..." she whimpered as tears fell from her eyes as she held the small dog in her arms.

Takashi moved forward, taking a white sheet from the nearby clothesline and tossing it over the body. The girl stepped closer as the boy held out a small flower for her. "He died protecting you." he said gently. "He was a good man...and a great father."

The girl began to cry as she took the flower. Kneeling by her deceased father's head and laying it down on his body as she started crying into Takashi's jacket. This was the scene Chase witnessed after dropping into the yard from the wall next door.

He stepped forward slowly and knelt on the opposite side of the other two as he looked at the man's body. Memories of his own father flooding into his mind as the girls cries lessened, she looked up at the new arrival before his gaze met her own.

"I know what it's like to lose a dad." he said with a sad smile. "Mine was brave too. He'd give anything to see me and my mother safe."

"Y-You lost your daddy too?" the girl asked wiping tears from her eyes.

Chase nodded, "And my mom. They were good people. Just like your dad. And I know that they're all watching over us right now. And they'll always be with us."

The girl stepped closer to the american before wrapping her little arms around him in a hug like she did with Takashi. Chase held he as he felt her tears begin to soak into his tactical vest.

Takashi watched everything unfold before him and was shocked to see a lone tear travel down Chase's face. Whether it was for the loss of this girl's father, the memories of his own losses, or a combination of the two he didn't know.

All three of them heard the sound of a door opening. "I-Is it safe?" they looked up hearing the voice. Takashi and Chase both gnashing their teeth as the people from inside the house looked out at all the dead walkers in the yard.

In an instant the lead man, which had been the one to kill the girl's father, was grabbed and thrown into the yard leaving the others speechless.

Chase smashing his fist against the man's face shattering his nose on impact before delivering another blow that cracked his jaw. "You motherfucking filthy piece of shit!" he roared as brought more fists down on the bleeding man, red beginning to tint his vision. "How could you do that! The man was only trying to save his child and you fucking kill him and leave her defenseless!"

"HAY!" one of the other men in the house came out brandishing a baseball bat. He froze when Chase whipped out one of his Mark 23s and aimed at his head. Finger tightening around the trigger before pressing the barrel into the prone man's forehead making him whimper in fear and pain.

"I'm...S-Sorry..." he wheezed out as he looked into the crazed american's eyes.

"Your SORRY?" Chase pistol whipped the man hard as the sound of his jaw completely breaking was heard. "Tell your apologised to someone in HELL!" he shouted pressing the barrel back to the man's head and thumbing back the hammer.

"BIG BROTHER STOP!"

Chase froze, finger a hairs width away from pulling the trigger as he slowly looked at the girl who was clinging to Takashi's side. "D-Daddy wouldn't want this." she said with tears in her eyes. "N-No killing...please big brother..." she pleaded.

Silence stretched out for a little while. Chase came back to his senses as he slowly released the man who was gathered up by a couple of his friends. "You people...are worse than the fucking Zekes." he said darkly as he glared at the terrified survivors. "You disgust me." he ground out as they hurriedly shut and locked their door once more.

Taking a few deep breaths, Chase felt a small hand wrap around the one still holding his pistol. He looked down as the girl's light violet eyes looked back up at him with a watery smile.

Takashi was frozen in place. He'd never seen the american like that before. So enraged and out of control, it made him wonder just what the hell had happened to him to make him become like that.

If what happened on Banoi and Palanai was anything like what they were facing now he could understand why the other boy would be falling apart mentally. But just how deep did those mental and emotional scars go to turn him into something like that?

His thoughts were cut off when a bellowing roar the likes of which he'd never heard before echoed out through the night. "What the hell was that?" he asked trying to find the direction the sound came from.

Looking at Chase, Takashi was a little stunned to see him pale as a sheet as he looked in the direction that was opposite of where their safe house was located. "What's wrong with him big brother?" the girl asked Takashi looking up at Chase worriedly.

"Chase? Chase what's going on?" the teen asked the american who looked at him slowly.

"We need to get out of here...now."

**X**

Back at the house, the rest of the group had heard the same roar just as they finished packing everything into the Hummer and was looking around for the source as well. "Where the hell did that come from?" asked Saya trying not to show her fear.

"It came from the bridges direction." said Saeko narrowing her eyes as she gazed down the dark street. "And whatever it is...it sounded big."

Shizuka looked terrified behind the wheel of the armored vehicle. "Do you think it will come this way?" she asked with her voice trembling.

"Given all the noise, I wouldn't be surprised." the girls looked up and saw Kohta all suited up with the guns they found strapped across his body. "...what?" he asked wondering about all the staring.

"You look to be having fun." said Saya with a cocky smirk.

Another roar filled the air making them all jump. "It's getting closer." said Saeko gripping her kendo stick tighter.

"Then let's get moving." said Rei as they finished the last of the loading.

**X**

He knew that sound...he feared that sound even now after so long. It came from the one thing that he knew he couldn't stop and neither could the others.

With walkers trying to force their way through the gate, and a good sized horde gathered around outside it. Chase was only left with one idea that would give them a fighting chance to get back to the house and the others.

Having Takashi and the little girl, whose name was Alice, hunker down against the wall while the american took out one of his pipe bombs and his zippo lighter. "Alright, they're mostly focused on the left since their still coming from the bridge. If I set this off on the right where they're weakest it should give us a wide enough opening to make a run for it." he explained.

"It's the best idea for right now. But what the hell's going on Chase? What's coming?" asked Takashi as Alice watched the american get ready.

"No time. Just trust me." he said sparking his lighter and lighting the fuse on the homemade bomb. Adjusting his aim, he lobbed the explosive over the wall. "Everyone down!" he shouted as he and Takashi covered Alice.

A second later a thundering explosion shook the ground slightly. Blood and body parts raining down around the surrounding area from the blast as the three survivors slowly got up.

"Holy shit! What the hell do you put into those things?" asked Takashi wiping blood off his jacket.

"A few household chemicals in the proper proportions." said Chase kneeling down and cupping his hands in front of him. "Takashi, you first." Takashi nodded and put his foot in the american's hands as he was hoisted up on to the top of the wall. The teen's mouth fell open seeing the damage the explosive cause.

A large black scorch mark covered the ground and the bodies of over two dozen undead laid in pieces scattered everywhere.

Chase turned to Alice who held the little dog as he picked her up, "Hold on sweetheart, we'll get you out of here." he said bringing her up so that Takashi could take ber before climbing to the top himself.

The trio came down on the other side and looked back to see a wall of walkers slowly making their way toward them. "Move!" shouted Takashi as they began running back to the house.

A handful of walkers still mulled around in front of them. Chase drew his machete and sliced the head off of the closest one before pulling one of his pistols and putting a round straight through the head of another as they continued to run.

They made it to the halfway point when the gate Chase had sealed before suddenly burst open and walkers began to pour out into the street. Takashi slid to a stop and put Alice behind him while Chase aimed his pistol and emptied the clip into the already growing horde, dropping several before he was forced to reload.

"Talashi!" he shouted tossing him the second Mark 23 as they both began shooting walkers.

A Suicider lumbered out of the massive horde behind them and stood at the front. Takashi saw this and spun around before putting a bullet right through its midsection. The mutated zombie began to have a seizure before exploding in a cloud of gore and bone, taking out several other undead with it in the blast and giving them a little more time.

Chase reloaded again before quickly bringing his machete down on to the skull of a walker thar shuffled at them faster than the others.

They were being pushed back, and were surrounded on all sides.

Alice clung to Takashi's leg as the pistol's slide locked back signalling an empty mag. "Chase, we're gonna start running out of room." he said bringing out his crowbar again.

The american reached into his vest to pull out another pipe bomb when something in the distance caught his attention.

Two large headlights were barreling toward them at high-speed. The large form of a military grade Hummer powered its way down the street. Shizuka at the wheel with Kohta in the gunner's position with riot shotgun in hand as they drew closer.

But the most outstanding thing about this was Saeko standing on the top of the vehicle. kendo stick in hand as the wind whipped around her causing both her hair and the apron that barely covered her form to flap around.

Chase would have found seeing her like that extremely hot had their lives not been in danger...then again she did look pretty fucking hot right now.

"There's so many of them!" said Shizuka as they drew closer to the wall of walkers.

"We can't turn back now!" said Rei bracing herself.

"RUN THEM DOWN!" shouted Saya as the Hummer began to plow through the undead. Send those that weren't crushed under the wheels flying in different directions. When they reached where the trio was fighting, the blonde nurse spun the car to the side knocking more undead away and coming to a stop.

Saeko leapt off of the top of the car and bashed the head in of a couple walkers. "Chase! Takashi! Hurry up!" shouted Rei as a mob of zombies began to close in around the Hummer.

"Working on it!" Chase shouted as he and Takashi began hacking, smashing, and shooting their way through the weakened horde in front of them with little Alice and the dog safely between them.

"Hirano, buy us some time!" ordered Saya.

Kohta got a glint in his eyes as he racked the shotgun. "Got it!" he swung the weapon around and fired. The scatter shot knocking zombies back like a group of dominos. He reaimed on another side and fired again keeping the horde away from them.

Saeko took down several more walkers and a couple Infected that ran out into the open as the trio made it through. "Need a hand?" she asked Chase with a smirk.

The survivor grinned before shooting another Infected that came out of an alleyway. "Only if you're offering." he said before burying his machete into the head of a walker behind him.

Takashi reached the Hummer and passed Alice off to Rei before climbing on. "We're clear guys let's get moving!" he called out as Kohta fired again.

Seako and Chase both ran back to the vehicle and climbed on quickly. "Alright, let's get out of here before-" Chase stopped in mid-sentence as a loud crash was heard back down where they came from. The sounds of people screaming was heard before they were quickly silenced by another crash.

The house that Alice and her father tried to get into shuttered before half of it collapsed like someone was demolishing it. A moment later there was a third crash where the gate was located.

Walkers were sent flying in all directions as a hulking form now stood among them after the dust and debris settled.

The group looked on in both shock and horror as the form turned slowly and began to slowly make its way toward them. The light from the few street lamps still active gave them a glimpse of something that stood taller than anything then they'd ever seen.

Wearing what looked to be a fully body suit/straight jacket made out of Kevlar was a 7' tall behemoth with a bald head and piercing red, blood-shot eyes. The lower half of its face covered by a mask giving it a demented and terrifying look.

"...Chase..." said Kohta aiming his shotgun at the approaching giant.

"Go." Chase said barely above a whisper.

"W-What do we do?" asked Shizuka shaking in fear.

The giant began to pick up speed before coming at them in a full charge. "GOOOOOOO!" Chase roared as the nurse hit the reverse, spinning the Hummer around and knocking everyone inside around before taking off in the other direction as fast as the armored transport could go.

"What the fuck was that!" shouted Rei getting up quickly.

"That was a Ram!" said Saya wide-eyed. "If I ready Chase's journal right, these things are incredibly strong and durable! How the fuck did one wind up out here?"

"Well we've gotten away, so no worries." said Rei.

Shizuka looked into the rearview mirror and screamed, "IT'S BEHIND US!" Everyone snapped in the direction and paled seeing the huge infected gaining on them like a deranged rhino on meth. It's shoulder slammed into the back of the Hummer causing it to lurch forward.

The group was tossed around while the nurse quickly regained control of the car. Alice coward in the back seat as the Ram struck their rear end again.

Kohta got back up in the gunners position and aimed the shotgun at the giant's head. "Goodnight you ugly bastard." he said grinning before pulling the trigger.

The Ram stumbled a step as the buckshot peppered its exposed head. But all it did was shake it off and bellow a loud roar before charge after them with greater intensity. Kohta was shell shocked before firing another round but only managed to hit the Kevlar straight jacket and doing hardly any damage as the Ram came up along side the Hummer and slammed into the side, causing it to grind against the wall on the other side.

"It's not going down!" Kohta shouted as he racked the shotgun and fired again.

"Chase how do we stop it?" asked Saya as she tried to wrap her brain around the situation as the giant slammed into their side again and cracking the reinforced window on the passenger door.

Alice screamed and started crying, the little dog with her was barking loudly while Rei tried to comfort her as best she could as the Hummer jarred again.

Shizuka was gripping the wheel to the point of white knuckling it, sweat pouring down her face as she pressed the accelerator to the floor to try and put as much distance between them and the rampaging infected as she could.

The american thought hard, "These things are built like fucking tanks. The only time me and the other immune managed to take them down was either with pure luck or-" his eyes widened as he pulled out another pipe bomb from his vest. "A good explosion."

"How are you going to get that thing to take it out while we're moving?" asked Takashi as he and Saeko tried to keep themselves upright.

Chase took out his lighter and brought himself up to the gunners position with Kohta. "I don't have to take it out, I just have to slow it down long enough for us to get away." he said preparing to light the explosive as the Ram drew in closer again.

Up ahead of them, the road came to a T-junction. "Everyone hang on!" Shizuka shouted as she spun the wheel as they made a tight right turn. The teens all slammed to the side of the Hummer, Kohta lost his balance and fell back into the car while Chase accidentally dropped the pipe bomb.

The homemade explosive rolled down the back of the Humer and got snagged on one of the handrails on the side close to the rear hatch. "Aw fuck!" Chase shouted pulling himself out and crawling slowly toward where the bomb was hung up.

"Chase!" Kohta shouted popping back up and aiming down the shotgun's sights. The Ram had fallen back from the sudden turn but was gaining on them fast. It's heavy footsteps thundering on the road as it closed the gap.

The american slid down to the back-end of the vehicle and grabbed one of the handrails as he reached for the pipe bomb, wrapping his fingers around it and pulling it free before slipping it into his vest and making his way back toward the gunner's seat when he heard Saeko shout.

"CHASE LOOK OUT!"

Turning his head, Chase saw the Ram come up behind them and crash its broad shoulder into the rear of the Hummer. Denting the strong metal and sending it jerking to the side and making him lose his grip on the hand rail.

His hand flailed out to catch anything to stop him from hitting the ground at 70MPH and being trampled by the giant that was stalking them. Another hand grabbed his stopping his fall, Takashi grunted as he pulled the american back to the top of the car.

The Ram came up along side the Hummer again and slammed into it to try and knock it off the road. Kohta put his weapon down and grabbed the arm Takashi was holding as they tried to pull their friend back to safety.

Chase reached down and pulled out one of his pistols and took aim the best he could with all the movement. The Ram went in for another attack when the gun went off. The .45 caliber bullet sailing through the air and punching a hole in the giant's left eye.

A roar of anger and pain ripped through the night as the Ram stumbled and slowed down. Shaking itself from side to side within the strong straight jacket before charging after them again with blood gushing down from its destroyed eyeball.

Takashi and Kohta managed to pull Chase back to the top of the Hummer when they heard the Ram chasing after them again. "You still have faith in that plan of yours?" asked Takashi as they prepared for another attack.

Chase looked farther up the road and caught sight of a propane truck that had slammed into a telephone pole. "Actually, it just got a little better." he said taking out the pipe bomb again and tearing the fuse in half.

"It's getting closer!" shouted Rei from inside as the Ram was closing the gap fast.

Pulling out his lighter, Chase lit the shortened fuse and timing his throw before tossing it into the air.

Everything slowed to a crawl as the Hummer blew past the crashed propane truck. The pipe bomb hitting the ground and bouncing once before rolling under the back tire of the truck as the fuse continued to burn out.

The Ram reached the truck just as the explosive detonated, flaming shrapnel piercing the fuel tank under the truck causing the whole thing to go up in a massive orange and blue fireball. Flames stretching high up into the sky and spreading out around the surrounding area.

Everyone in the Hummer ducked down as the ground shook from the blast as they kept moving as quickly as the dented armored transport could go. Chase poked his head up out of the top of the car and watched the fire buring in the growing distance. He breathed out a sigh of relief before dropping back down on to the seat that was under him. "Fuck me running..." he muttered leaning his head back on the seat.

"Is it dead?" asked Saya adjusting her glasses as they all started to relax. The energy from everything that had transpired in the last half hour draining out of them quickly.

"It better be." said Takashi slumping in his own seat, "Shit, that thing was a nightmare."

"Try fighting one without explosives." said Chase as he turned his head to look out the window. The sun had begun rising with the new day on the horizon, the first rays painting the sky with an array of pink, orange and purple. "At least we survived the first day."

Saeko nodded from her spot next to him, "It may only be the beginning, but I have faith we'll make it through this."

They all got comfortable in moments. Exhaustion pulling them down into the depths of sleep.

As his eyes slid closed, Chase felt little Alice curl up into his side from his spot between him and Takashi with the little dog in her lap also asleep. Rei in Takashi's lap as he felt Saeko lean against his shoulder. Kohta sat up front keeping vigil with Shizuka while Saya curled up on the wide floor at their feet using a backpack as a pillow.

They'd made it through the first night. And if he had anything to say about it they'd make it out of this. _"I won't fail them..."_ he thought as he slipped into blissful darkness.

**X**

_**"The first night was the worst. The fact we survived at all was anything short of a miracle. But regardless we made it, and were on the road once again. Trying to find a way across the river so the others could look for their families and we can begin to find a way out of this mess."**_

_**"I was already starting to feel the strain. My mind and body already approaching the end of their rope having to help deal with all this and make sure that the others made it through."**_

_**"But I wouldn't stop now...couldn't stop now...there was too much riding on this for me to throw in the towel just yet. And no matter what I was going to keep pushing forward." **_

_**"Even if it killed me."**_

**X**

The burning and twisted wreckage of the propane tanker continued to to smolder as the fires slowly started to die out.

The sound of screeching metal rang out as a large piece of the truck suddenly began to lift before being tossed aside like it was a toy.

Standing amongst the dying flames was a charred and still burning form that towered over any who would cross it's path. The once heavily padded suit that covered its body was shredded and burned allowing two large arms to be exposed to the shining light of the new day.

It breathed heavily, burned flesh crackling with each movement as it's lone bloody red-eye glared down the road where it's prey had escaped.

Without any rational thought other than the one to find the prey that escaped. The hulking form of the Ram began to stomp its way up the road. Leaving the mangled remains of its straight jacket behind.

**A/N: I couldn't help myself. If you've played the games you know how tough these bastards can be. A simple explosion like that wouldn't stop one of those things. Believe me, I hit those things with everything I got when I play and it still takes a little ingenuity just to put the fuckers down. **

**Now that they survived the first night, things can either get better or worse for the group. And with Chase showing the signs of spiralling out of control, how will the rest of the group handle what he is becoming. And can someone in their group help him before it's too late? **

**I like the review and the ideas guys, keep them coming.**


	7. End of the Road

**A/N: Whew! I'm here and with one of my biggest chapters to date! And I know a lot of you who are fans of my Crysis Effect series are happy that I updated the other night, so I intend on delivering with this fic too!**

**This piece will have a lot of eye openers and will have a good amount of questions answered. But more or less it will prove that even a veteran survivor isn't as unstoppable as they may seem. I have a feeling by the end of this chapter you all will be on the edge of your seats...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! (Which Sucks!)**

_**"They say that when you sleep your mind is vulnerable to your subconscious. Whether it's good or bad, all of it is able to come back and invade your head without any resistance. But nothing is more damaging to the mind than your memories."**_

_**"A traumatic experience, no matter how damaging, can affect you in ways you can't possibly imagine. It can change your whole outlook on life, and change who you are as well."**_

_**"Everyone has their scars, mental, emotional, and physical. I knew that everyone in our group had theirs in different contexts. And they were slowly starting to see mine with each passing moment we're all together."**_

_**"It was only a matter of time before any of them figured out how damaged I really was. I'd seen almost a dozen councilors after what happened on the islands to even **_**have**_** the ability to sleep at night again."**_

_**"To some sleep was an escape from the horrors of reality. But to me...it was a prison that trapped me with the past I was hoping to leave behind."**_

**X**

_It was complete chaos. Moresby City hall had been overrun with undead in moments when the group went to pass through on their way back to the church when everything went to hell. Now they had to fight their way through the blood stained walls to get to the sewers and their escape._

_Chase kicked the nearest walker into the wall allowing Sam to bash its skull in with his spiked baseball bat. _

_Purna fired her pistol and took down a few others that came out of a nearby conference room as they made it to the stairs and began making their way down. "It's a bloody mess here." she muttered slamming a fresh clip into her weapon._

_"I don't feel sorry for 'em." said Logan as he kicked a nearby body to make sure that it was down and out as they went down to the ground level. "They were too busy stuck in their own fuckin world that they'd never see this coming."_

_"That didn't mean they deserved it." said Xian shaking blood from a katana she got in town. _

_They entered through a door and treaded down the corridor that would take them to the basement. "Let's just get the fuck back to the church before this place is completely overrun." said Sam as they entered the room leading to the room leading to the sewer access._

_Chase looked back over his shoulder at all the blood soaked bodies that were once living people not even an hour before. Part of him still had trouble coming to grips with all of this madness and death, but he pushed past it all to make sure that he and the others got through all of this._

_A hand on his shoulder drew him out of his musings. "You okay kid?" asked Logan. _

_The teen rolled his shoulders, "I'm fine. Let's just get the hell out of here." he said brushing past the ex-football player and headed for the door leading to the sewers. _

_The other immune looked to one another. "You guys worried about him too?" asked Logan._

_"This should be too much for someone as young as him." said Xian. "It's already getting a bit much for us...how can you not be worried about him?" she wondered._

_"He made his choice to help us." said Purna as she began to follow after the teen. "And we're a team, we stick by each other through this shit. And we'll be there if one of us needs it." the others nodded as they continued their mission back to the church._

_X_

_He stood in the open doorway looking into the room beyond. His eyes refusing to leave the occupant of the room as she laid on the only bed with her back to the door._

_They had just gotten back from the police station and killing a shit load of gangbanging punks who had taken their friend Jin and...Chase gritted his teeth, he couldn't believe what those assholes had done to her. She was just an innocent trying to help others through this hell._

_She didn't deserve it, and he hoped those fuckers rotted in the worst pit in Hell imaginable._

_Taking a deep breath, he slowly stepped into the room. "Jin?" he asked gently. She remained motionless. Chase stopped a few feet from the bed, he didn't want her to have an episode after what she had been through._

_"I...I'm sorry..." he said as he felt his heart clench. "I'm sorry this happened to you. I'm sorry I-" Chase clenched his fists and gritted his teeth again, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I promised your dad before he died that I'd look out for you and I..."_

_The teen fell to his knees as tears filled his eyes. "I failed him...I failed you, after everything I promised...I should have been there with you and fought! I should have-" _

_He was cut off when he felt two hands on his face making him look up from the floor. Jin's face was still raw from her ordeal. Right eye swollen shut and a few splits in her lower lip that would still take time to finish healing. _

_"Chase...stop..." she said, her voice rough and tears cascading down her cheeks. "It's not your fault. It was mine...I should have listened to you guys and avoided the police station. I...I just wanted to help people." she whimpered as more tears started coming._

_Chase pulled her into his chest and hugged her tightly as she sobbed into his shirt. Tears flowing down his own face as the girl let out her pain and anguish. _

_They sat there for who knew how long, but neither teen cared as they held on to each other. Jin leaned back and looked into the boy's face. "Did...Did you really promise my father that?" she asked._

_Chase looked down ashamed and nodded, "I did...and I couldn't keep my promise."_

_The girl held his face in her hands and made him look at her again. "You can't be everywhere at once. I don't blame you, Chase. So please, stop blaming yourself for not being there." she said looking him in the eye._

_He reached up and held her face, being as gentle as possible with the bruises as he stroked her cheeks._

_Neither one knew who started it, but in the next moment their lips were on each others. It was gentle, and revealed all the pain and sorrow they were feeling. But the kiss also expressed all the joy the two teens felt when they were near each other since the moment they met. _

_Chase doing all he could to make her smile after her father's death and being there with her at night when she cried. How they had fallen asleep in each others arms from exhaustion from all the fighting they all had done in order to survive with the others. _

_They leaned back panting, Jin's hands had moved to his chest while his were on her hips. "Jin, I don't think-" she put a finger to his lips and smiled a little. _

_"I trust you Chase." she said sliding her hands up his front and around his neck, bringing him into another kiss. "S-Stay with me? I don't want to be alone." she asked timidly._

_Chase scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to the bed bridal style before laying her down and getting into the bed with her. Jin rolled over and rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. _

_She felt safe in his arms as she cuddled into him. Both teens slowly falling into a well deserved asleep after the day they had._

_Meanwhile, a pair of eyes was watching them from the door before it closed quietly. Purna looked to Xian and smiled, "She'll be alright." said the Australian. _

_Xian smiled back, "As long as he's around, she will be." she said as they both headed toward the front of the church to meet up with Logan and Sam. _

_X_

_The jungle was the worst place to be in the situation that they were in. Infected kept coming at them from all sides forcing the group of five to stand back to back with one another to form a good enough defense to fend them off. _

_The sky dark and the rain downpouring on to the survivors as they fought against the creatures around them._

_Logan cried out in pain as one of the fast zombies got at him when his shotgun ran out of bullets and bit him on the arm. He punched the undead hard knocking it away and cradling his bleeding limb to his chest as he pulled out a machete with his other hand. "There's too many!"_

_Sam emptied the rest of his assault rifle into the coming walkers from back the way they came. "We can't go back! We gotta punch through these muthafuckers!" he shouted slamming in a fresh clip. _

_Xian and Purna stood back to back. The chinese woman taking the head off of an Infected as it sprinted at them while the Australian jammed a knife into the head of a walker that tried to flank them. "Where's Chase?" shouted Purna as she pulled the knife free and stabbed another undead. _

_The teen stood toward the front ramming the end of his bow staff into the mouth of a walker and punching it out the back of its throat before heaving the corpse over his shoulder and throwing it into three others behind him. _

_An Infected ran out of the foliage and caught him by surprise. Tackling them both to the muddy ground as the red-eyed creature tried to take a chunk out of his neck. _

_Chase brought up his metal staff at the last-minute as the Infected's mouth latched on to the leather grip. Holding it steady, he reached down with his other hand and pulled his pistol from its holster and pressed it to the undead's temple before pulling the trigger._

_Blood and grey matter mixed with the falling ran as the Infected collapsed to the side not moving while the teen got back to his feet. He raised his sidearm and shot a couple of walkers trying to get around his friends' defenses. _

_Lightning flashed in the sky as the group managed to take down the surrounding undead and began moving again. Sam peered ahead, his eyes widening as he raised his rifle. "BEHIND YOU KID!" _

_Chase heard a hissing/shriek before pain erupted along his back. He fell to the ground dropping his weapons as he managed to roll out of the way from another attack. _

_Now on his back, the teen looked up to see a horrifying entity hunched over him. Its face and body was sunken in making it look like its skeleton was exposed, stringy hair fell from its balding head that plastered to its greying flesh from the rain._

_Instead of hands, the creature had its forearm bones jutting from the stumps were its hands would have been. Coated in blood and broken at the end looking like jagged spears. _

_Lightning flashed in the sky as the creature raised both of its wicked hands and slashed them down on the teen._

_"CHASE!" _

**X**

Chase bolted awake, breath labored as sweat poured down his pale face. He looked around to see everyone looking at him as Saeko kept her hand on his shoulder after waking him. "Chase are you alright? You were shouting in your sleep." she said looking into his eyes worried like the others.

The american gripped his stomach when he suddenly felt sick. "S-Stop the car!" he shouted.

Shizuka slammed on the breaks and pulled off to the side just as the rear passanger door opened. Chase stumbled out and fell to his hands and knees before retching on the grass next to the road.

Kohta, Takashi and Saeko got out of the Hummer while the others stayed put as they approached their friend. "What happened?" asked Rei watching as Chase continued to empty his stomach.

Saya adjusted her glasses. "He's falling apart. Whatever the hell he was dreaming about must have been some heavy shit. His mind and body couldn't handle it, hence why he's getting sick." she said leaning back in the seat.

"Is he going to be okay?" asked Alice concerned.

"Hard to tell." said the genius. "With everything he's been through, I'm surprised he hasn't cracked yet. He hardly eats, barely sleeps, whatever's going on with him will kill him if he doesn't get it under control."

They all looked out as the three others reached him.

"Chase, you alright man?" asked Kohta as they approached him slowly. Putting a hand on his shoulder as the american sat up slowly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Not really." he said staggering to his feet, his face still a little pale and sweating.

"We should have Shizuka look you over, your obviously not well." said Saeko with concern lacing her words.

Chase shook his head and slowly trudged back to the Hummer. "We need to get to the other side of the river. The more time we waste the less chances we have of actually making it in one piece."

Takashi reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him. "_You_ won't be making it in one piece if you keep this up. Chase you need to be looked at, we can't be moving around if one of us is sick."

"I'm not sick!" the survivor shouted pulling his arm away. "I'm just..." he rubbed his forehead feeling a little dizzy. "It's just been a long 30 plus hours. I'm a little exhausted, that's all."

Whatever else was going to be said was cut off when a small group of walkers began to head in their direction. Deciding to let the matter go until they reached a safe place they all got back into the Hummer and started off again.

The whole way everyone kept an eye on the american who leaned back in his seat with half lidded eyes as he tried to get his breathing back under control. Saeko watched him the closest, filling everything in the back of her mind for when they stopped to rest.

She wasn't going to let this matter go. Not by a long shot.

**X**

A few hours later found the group driving across the shallow waters of the river dividing the city. Kohta and Alice were singing 'row, row, row your boat' on the top of the Hummer while Saya was looking around them for any undead that might have been around them.

When the chubby teen began singing the 'parody' of the song the pinkette slammed her hand on the roof of the car. "Enough fatass! You can't go teaching little kids a song like that!"

"Y-Yes ma'am." Kohta shuddered while the little girl in his lap giggled.

Inside, Shizuka continued to drive while Rei, Takashi, Saeko and Chase were all sitting in the back seat. The american had fallen asleep again shortly after his ordeal allowing the three others to talk freely.

"So what do you think?" asked Takashi as he cast a glance at Chase's sleeping form.

Saeko used a clean rag to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "He's not ill in the physical sense." said the bushido master. "I believe what Saya was saying was correct. It seems that he is reliving his past through his nightmares and it's taking a toll on his body." she said touching his face gently with her right hand noticing that color was slowly returning to his face.

Rei bit her lip, "Christ...how bad do you think he had it back then? How much worse was it compared to the way things are right now?" she wondered.

"Hay everyone, we're almost to the other side!" said Shizuka from the driver's seat as she hit a bump and jostling them around. Chase groaned, slowly rubbing his eyes as he returned to conciousness.

He blinked a few times as his eyes came into focus. "How are you feeling?" asked Seako.

The american sat up a bit, "A little better, thanks." he said with his voice straining a little.

"What happened back there man? You looked like hell." said Takashi.

Chase ran a hand through his mohawk, "Just bad dreams. Nothing to worry about, I'm used to it." he said looking out the window at the passing water.

"Nothing to worry about?" Rei said stunned. "A 'bad dream' doesn't make someone look like they're about to die Chase." she admonished.

Saeko kept her concerned gaze on him, "You've experienced this before?" she asked getting a nod from the survivor. "For how long?"

"Every once in a while since I got off those god forsaken islands." he said emotionless as the Hummer went up the small slope and landed on solid ground.

Saya looked around and wasn't able to finds of life, living or otherwise, anywhere around them. "There's nobody here." she said putting the binoculars down. "Neither them or any living people." she said to Kohta who was scanning around with his rifle.

"Then let's take a moment ro regroup, won't be able to do much of that if more of them happen to find us." said the gun-nut as they parked the armored transport and piled out.

Shizuka dug around in the back while the others looked at the damaged done to the Hummer. "Fuck...look at all this." said Takashi running his hand over a dent the size of his torso on the right side. "What the hell did you say that thing was again Saya?"

"If Chase's journal was correct, it's called a Ram." said the genius. "Supposedly they used to be violent psychotics who were locked up when they got infected. The Kuru virus mutated their adrenal gland giving them physical size and strength along with damage resistance. The straight-jacket was supposed to keep them contained." she looked at the damaged vehicle and swallowed hard. "Though...it seems like it does little good."

"Do they have weaknesses?" asked Kohta.

Chase nodded, "They have an exposed wound in their back that can be crippling to them if hit just right. Problem last night was it's hard to hit that point when the bastard's slamming into us like a rhino on meth."

"At least it was killed in the blast." said Saeko straightening out the apron she was still wearing. "And we should pray not to run into another one."

"It's not the Rams you should be worried about." said Chase getting their attention. "Trust me, there are other mutations that a far more dangerous than those things. They rely mostly on brute strength, and have poor sense of direction if they can't see where they're throwing themselves."

"Basically, their tough but not unstoppable."

"I found it!" Shizuka shouted pulling a bag from the back of the Hummer. "I thought we could all use a change of clothes, so I filled this before we left Rika's place." she said smiling.

Rei shot the three guys a look, "We're gonna get dressed, so don't even think about looking this way." she said pointedly. The three guys looked to one another before casually walking to the other side of the vehicle to avoid facing the wrath of all four women.

"So, did you find out anything about Alice we didn't already know?" asked Chase as he leaned against the vehicle's front bumper. The five girls already going through the bag of clothes on the other side.

"Her full name is Alice Maresato, she's in the second grade. Her dad is a newspaper reporter...or he was." said Kohta looking solemn.

"What about her mother?" asked Takashi.

"Her dad said they'd see her later." said the chubby teen as the three of them fell into a tense silence...

Which was quickly broken by an excited squeal when the girls really began digging through the clothes and started getting dressed.

"Now is the time for action my friends!" said Kohta with stars in his eyes. "Four beautiful women are getting nude just over yonder...it's too good to pass up!"

Takashi and Chase both sweatdropped, "Dude, do we have to revisit the conversation from back at the house?" asked the american pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm. Keeping. My. Balls." he recited slowly.

"And my life." added Takashi.

They were interrupted by barking as the little white dog that had been hanging around Alice sat at their feet. "We'll, aren't you full of energy." said Chase kneeling down and scratching the little guy behind the ear.

"Don't bark too much Zero." said Kohta.

"Zero?" asked Takashi as he picked up the dog.

"This little guy's name, Zero, comes from the nickname the americans gave the Reisen during the Pacific War." replied the gun-nut.

"Reisen...you mean the old Zero-Fighter planes." said Chase remembering his history.

Kohta nodded as he pet the little dog, "Yup, they were fast and small, just like him."

Zero barked already liking the name as Takashi sat him down and he began running laps around their legs. Chase smiled at the little guys energy as he cast a small glance over his shoulder.

His eyes widened and his heart started pumping when he saw Saeko removing the apron from her form exposing the pale plane of her back.

Quickly turning his head, the american closed his eyes and chanted to himself. _"I'm not a perv. I'm not a perv. I'm not a perv..."_ the image replayed in his mind and he felt his face grow hot. _"Damn you Logan and your so called _teachings_!"_ he raged in his own head.

He reopened his eyes and watched Kohta hand Takashi the riot shotgun and explain to him how to use it in the best way he knew how. When everything was all settled they heard Alice call out to them.

The three boys looked toward the back of the Hummer and their jaws dropped.

The girls all stood in upgraded versions of their school uniforms making them all look battle ready and sexy at the same time.

Chase's eyes were locked on Saeko. Her old uniform top was the same, but she wore a short black skirt with an opening stretching all the way from the bottom to her hip showing a lot of leg that wasn't covered by black thigh-high stockings and knee length combat boots.

_"...I think I just died and went to paradise." _the american thought with a grin. Takashi stood next to him with a large blush while Kohta was covered in a dark purple aura chuckling perversely.

"You guys have a problem?" asked Rei with a cocky smirk.

Takashi shook himself, "No, you look great." he managed to squeeze out. "But can you even shoot that thing?" he asked pointing at the large sniper rifle with a bayonet she was holding in her arms.

"Kohta can teach me." she said smiling at the bespectacled teen. "If that doesn't work I can use it as a spear."

Chase shook his head when he felt someone pulling on his pant leg. He looked down to see Alice looking up at him with wide and curious purple eyes. "What is it sweetheart?" he asked getting down to her level.

Alice blushed with her hands behind her back, "I...I was looking for a snack in the back of the car when I knocked over your bag..." she held out her hands revealing the two pictures from his apartment. The ones he remembered to grab before he left with Saeko to meet up with the others. "These fell out...I hope your not mad." she said timidly.

Chase took the pictures and smiled at her before ruffling her hair. "I'm not mad at all. Thank you for bringing them to me." he said slipping them into his vest.

"Who are they?" asked the little girl. "The ones in the pictures your happy with."

The others had drawn their attention his way as he smiled sadly. "The first one you saw was of me, my mom and dad. The other was of, well, I guess you could call them my _second_ family. They helped me after my mom and dad died." he explained.

Alice's eyes watered a little, "What happened to your mommy and daddy?"

Chase sighed as he wiped a few tears away from her face. "The monsters took them away from me." he said making her eyes widen. "I was all alone, trying to survive when my other family found me. They became like my older brothers and sisters and helped me through what happened."

The little girl's shoulders shook before Chase pulled her into a hug. "D-Does it always h-hurt..." she whimpered.

"It'll get easier over time sweetheart." he said softly kissing the top of her head. "But you're not alone. Me and everyone else here will be there to protect you, we won't let nothing happen to you."

Alice leaned back and looked into his eyes. "Promise?" she asked hopeful.

Chase was frozen by that one word. It rang through his thoughts like a demonic mantra as a barrage of memories assaulted his mind. A long list of broken promises that he tired to keep and ended up failing at.

Seeing the american struggling, Kohta stepped in for his friend. "You bet Alice. We won't let nothing bad happen to you." he said with conviction. Alice smiled at all of them before picking up Zero and skipping over to Shizuka.

Kohta looked back at Chase and was shocked to see that he hadn't moved. His eyes glazed over as he stared at nothing. "Chase? Chase you still with us?" he asked shaking his friend's shoulder and snapping him out of it.

"Y-Yeah." said the survivor getting to his feet and stepping away for a minute. Everyone shared a glance.

"Okay, this has gone on too long." said Saya marching up to Chase and spinning him around. "Just what the hell is wrong with you? Ever since you woke up you've acted like a dog that's been beaten down to the ground. I want to know what's fucked up in your head, and what the hell would cause you to turn into someone like this?"

Chase was shocked at first, but his face slowly morphed into an expression bordering between fury and rage. "You think it's easy?" he asked with a tone so cold they all shivered. "You think it's easy to just stand up and go through all this after what's happened to me? To pick up a weapon and just start swinging simply from the _experience _that I have?"

Saya gulped, realizing that she may have just opened Pandora's box. "I-"

"YOU DON'T KNOW A FUCKING THING!" he roared making her stumble back and fall on her ass. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WATCH YOU MOTHER _EATING_ YOUR FATHER? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO SPEND NIGHT AFTER NIGHT LISTENING TO FUCKING ZEKES TEAR APART AND EAT INNOCENT PEOPLE AS THEY SCREAM THEIR LAST BREATH? TO STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF A TOWN GONE TO SHIT AND SEE NOTHING BUT THE DEAD BODIES OF MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN EVERYWHERE?"

He was shaking now, his rage getting the better of him as he clenched his fists. "And then, just when you think it doesn't get any worse. You see people who aren't even dead raping and torturing people for their own fucking amusement. People so fucking disgusting that you have no choice but to put them down like rabid animals just to save someone you care about...only for it to mean nothing in the end."

Tears were now in his eyes as he dropped to his knees. "You guys...have only seen this shit for one day. Try going several weeks with nothing but terrified people around you and ravenous Zekes pounding at your shelter. To know that any day...any _hour_ could be your last?" he looked at their shocked faces as he felt his defenses cracking. "I haven't slept well in _two fucking years_. Each time I close my eyes all I see is death. My past skull-fucking me to the point of breaking."

"And now...here I am. Going through this goddamn freak show once more. Everything I worked so hard to leave behind me coming back like a tidal wave." he chuckled humorlessly. "I'm not as strong as you think I am. In fact my stability shifts depending on the time of day. Today just happens to be a bad one."

The others didn't know what to say, they never knew how far the damage went when it came to their friend or the trauma he had to deal with everyday just to get by. It was then that they knew that full extent of the stress everything was having on him.

Chase took several deep breaths, composing himself in several minutes before standing back up. "I'm fucked in the head...that much is easy to figure out. To be honest I'm probably the worst out of the whole group. " he said with his persona returning to normal. "But that's not going to stop me from getting everyone through this. So I apologise if my mental breakdown earlier scared you, but let me put it to you like this. As cliché as this sounds; I may have left the islands, but the islands never left me." he said tapping his finger to his temple. "What I went through, would make any horrifying ordeal any of you have faced seem like candyland in comparison. And I don't think I'll ever be _normal_ again."

He turned and began to walk up the grassy slope next to where they stopped. "I"m going to scout ahead. Be right back." and with that he ran up the slope and disappeared at the top.

Back down below, the group looked to one another with mixed emotions. Alice had tears in her eyes as she looked up at Shizuka. "Big brother's hurting..." she said with her voice shaking.

Kohta blew out a breath and shook his head, "He always said his past was rough...I didn't think it would be this bad." he looked at the others, "He's my best friend, how the hell can we help him?"

"The only thing we can do is be there for him." said Saeko, her eyes not leaving where the american had disappeared. "He's helped us through this nightmare thus far, I believe it's time we helped him."

Everyone nodded in agreement while Zero barked.

A moment later Chase poked his head over the top of the ridge. "All clear!" he called down to them. Shizuka got back behind the wheel with Alice, Saya and Rei hopping into the back while Takashi, Kohta and Saeko went up the ridge with their weapons ready.

What greeted them was dead silence. The streets, the surrounding buildings, everything was devoid of life. Not even animals made sounds through the deserted part of town.

"They didn't block of this side of the river at all." said the american searching every window, doorway, alley, and balcony surrounding them with his eyes narrowed. The sound of the Hummer powering up the hill behind them filled the whole area as it came over the hill and on to the road.

Saya stepped out and looked around through her binoculars for anything. "The news reports said that it was like this all over the country." she said when she saw a damaged car with blood stained all over the hood and windshield.

"The police should still be around!" said Rei thinking of her father.

Saya's eyes widened, "That's right, because the Japanese police are really dedicated."

Shizuka leaned out of the driver's side window of the Hummer, "What are we going to do now that we're here?"

Takashi looked back at his pinkette friend. "Saya, you live in the Higashisaka 2-Chome, right?" he asked. Saya nodded. "Then that means your place his closest. We'll head there first."

He looked to the ground, "But...well-" "I know." Saya said interrupting him. "The chances that they're still alive are slim. I understand that."

"There's always hope." they looked at Chase who was still looking off into the city. "When things are at their darkest, hope is all that we have left." he looked over his shoulder at the group. "Without hope...we have nothing. So hold on to it while you can, all of you."

They all piled back into the Hummer and took off in the direction of the Takagi Estate.

**X**

The trip was made mostly in silence, everyone doing something to pass the time as they drove through the silent city streets. Takashi and Rei laid on the roof of the vehicle enjoying the sun and talking quietly with one another. Kohta sat with Alice watching everything go by them while Saya looked on bored but alert.

Saeko sat in her seat, arms crossed with her eyes closed in a type of meditation. Though every once in a while she'd crack one open and look at Chase who was loading the empty clips he had for his Mark 23s after their escape the night before.

Finished with his task, he put the full magazines back in his vest before taking out a wet stone and began sharpening the blade of his machete. Making sure that the weapon was in peak condition should they get into another fight.

With the blade now as sharp as it could be, he slid it back into its sheath over his right shoulder. Leaning back against the seat behind him as he began to settle into his thoughts.

He knew he shouldn't have blown up like that in front of the others. But the stress of what was happening around them, coupled with his memories coming back much more frequently, was starting to ware him down pretty bad.

And the worst part was that the others could see it as clear as day now.

"It's THEM!" Kohta suddenly shouted seeing a large group of walkers in the road ahead. "In the front and on the right! Distance: 300!"

"Turn right!" shouted Saya having Shizuka spin the wheel and take them down a side road only to see more undead blocking their path.

"They're here too!" shouted the blonde nurse.

"Then take that left! LEFT!" shouted Saya as the tires screeched into another tight last minute turn.

"Dammit! The closer we get to Saya's place the more of them there are!" said Takashi gritting his teeth.

"There has to be a reason." said Rei as they held on to the roof when a large group of walkers stood in their path.

"Keep pushing through!" ordered Saya as they began to mow the undead down where they stood. Off to the side, an Infected saw what was happening and ran full speed at the Hummer. Slamming into the already dented side and shattering the badly damaged window making Alice scream as Kohta yanked her out of harms way.

The Infected snapped its teeth snarling like a rabid animal as it tried to get into the vehicle. Chase drew one of his pistols and shoved it into the undead's mouth and pulled the trigger, blood sprayed through the air as the Infected was thrown off of the Hummer and hit the ground hard as they kept moving.

"LOOK OUT!" Rei screamed from the roof as the others saw something stretching across the road ahead of them.

"There are razor wires across the road!" shouted Saeko. "Turn the car sideways!" Shizuka spun the wheel, the Hummer skidding across the ground on the blood and bodies of the walkers they ran down and hitting the wire and pinning three walkers to the razor wire and causing blood to splatter on the side of the car.

"I can't stop it!" Shizuka screamed.

"The tires are locked! Let go of the breaks and hit the gas a little bit!" Kohta exclaimed holding on to Alice so she wasn't thrown around.

"Locked?" wondered the nurse hitting the gas and sending them flying toward the wall ahead of them. She quickly slammed back on the breaks stopping them before the struck.

But the sudden stop caused Rei to lose her grip and hurdle off of the roof. Time slowed down as Takashi reached out to grab her and came up short as her back slammed hard on the hood of the Hummer, bouncing off and hitting the concrete below with a horrifying 'thud'.

The girl shuttered in pain from the impact as she cracked her eyes open. Walkers began to slowly trudge they're way toward her, the pain in her back keeping her immobile as the undead began to draw in closer.

"Pull back the slide..." Rei looked from the approaching walkers toward the Hummer where Takashi racked the riot shotgun, "aim for the head..." he leapt off of the vehicle and landed in front of her. "And fire!" he squeezed the trigger.

One walker's head exploded in a cloud of red as its body was thrown back several feet. The walkers around it were hit with the spread and stumbled under the blast before continuing forward.

"What the hell? I aimed for the heads!" he said racking the weapon.

"It's the recoil dumbass!" Chase shouted leaping out of the Hummer with Saeko and drawing his .45s.

Kohta popped out of the gunner's seat with his rifle. "The recoil rises the barrel a little bit higher! Stabilize the barrel and aim for the chest! he shouted clicking the safety off on his weapon and taking aim at the coming horde.

Takashi began shooting with better accuracy before he ran out of shells. Reaching down to reload and dropping most of them on the ground. "Shit!" he shouted scrambling to pick them up.

"Takashi!" shouted Saeko as she stood by Chase who was firing both his pistols into the crowd of walkers. "We'll cover you! In the mean time help Rei!" she said before swatting a walker hard in the head with her kendo stick.

"But there's too many!" he shouted as the wall of undead drew closer.

Chase dropped three more walkers before the slides on both pistols locked back. He quickly ejected both clips and slammed in fresh ones before he started shooting again. "Hurry the fuck up and do it Takashi!" he shouted as a couple Infected came out of the crowd and were taken down by Kohta and himself.

Saeko swung her kendo stick and knocked another Infected off it's feet before bashing it's head in while it was on the ground before turning her attention to several walkers that shuffled in close.

Takashi ran over to Rei who still had trouble moving from the pain in her back and held her in his arms. "Takashi?" she asked. In the next moment, he flipped them around so that she was on the ground, her rifle sitting on top of her chest braced by her breasts as Takashi took aim.

"Kohta! What about this one!" the boy shouted.

"Push the lever in front of the trigger guard!" the chubby teen called out as he kept shooting. "Then turn off the safety!" a couple more walkers fell dead. "After that pull the operating rod on the right! Then FIRE!"

Takashi followed the steps quickly and began firing. Rei letting out loud gasps of pleasure and pain as her breasts took the recoil from the powerful rifle.

Saeko and Chase stood in the center of the horde. The bushido master using her kendo stick to full effect while the american fired a .45 in his left hand while hacking and slashing with his machete in his right hand.

Saeko leapt into the air as one of Takashi's rounds went between her legs and clipped a walker in the side of the head causing it to spin around before falling flat. Chase tilted his head to the side at the last minute as another round zoomed past his ear while they kept fighting.

"Takashi you suck at this!" Chase shouted as he burrowed his machete into the head of a walker as several more rounds zipped past missing their targets. Saeko flipped over his head and cracked the skull of an Infected who had gotten around them.

The duo stood back to back as more undead began to gather from all the noise. A bellowing roar going through the crowd as a Thug skulked its way through the smaller zombies and approached them. Behind it two Suiciders entered the fray as well.

"This is looking bad." said Saeko gripping her wooden sword.

Chase reloaded his pistol and prepared for another attack.

Back at the Hummer, Kohta's clip finally ran out and he called down below. "I need more magazines! I'm out!" Alice looked at the clip that had fallen into the car and scrambled to the back of the vehicle where Zero was pulling a bag full of magazines toward her.

The little girl grabbed as many as she could and went back to Kohta and held them up for him. "Kohta! Here!" she called.

The gun-nut's eyes widened seeing her helping him. His eyes narrowing as he took the clips. "Time to finish this!" he growled slamming a fresh clip into the rifle and taking aim once again. "I'm going to kill you all!" he roared firing round after round.

"KOHTA! SUICIDERS AT 11 O'CLOCK!" Chase shouted as he and Saeko fended off against the Thug as it continued to swing at them.

Kohta aimed and fired one round that tore through the head of the explosive zombie on the right causing it to burst. Sending a dozen others plus the second Suicider to go flying off and exploding like the first.

Shizuka kept trying to start the car only to have the engine keep sputtering. "The engine's stalled out! It won't start!"

Saya moved from the passenger seat to the back. "Saya? What are you doing?" the nurse asked.

"Kohta's shotgun, I'm going to get it and use it!" the pinkette exclaimed pulling the back door open and climbing out.

"But it's dangerous out there!" Shizuka screamed.

Saya looked back and smirked, "I know." she slammed the door shut

"Saya! The shells are at your feet! Do you know how to use that?" asked Kohta as the genius picked up the riot shotgun Takashi dropped.

"I got this." she growled racking the weapon.

"SAYA!" shouted Takashi as a walker got right in her face. The pinkette screamed just as something slammed hard into the walker's skull splattering blood across her front and knocking it to the ground.

Saeko shook the blood off her kendo stick and looked back at Chase to see him taking the arms off of the large zombie before putting two rounds into it's head as more walkers crowded around him. She immediately ran back into the fray to give him a hand as Saya began shouting and firing away with the shotgun.

Walkers, Infected, and several Thugs and Suiciders fell dead with each round, slash, strike and attack the group threw at them...but they just kept coming.

Their ammo reserves were running out. And so was their time.

Saya began using the shotgun as a bat as she was backed into a corner.

Saeko still fought against the horde with several of them grabbing at her clothes as she defended.

Chase drove his machete into the jaw of an Infected as a walker attempted to bite through the shoulder plating of his tactical vest.

Takashi, Rei and Kohta looked on with desperation on their faces as their ammo finally ran out.

Shizuka and Alice coward in the Hummer while Zero barked.

The wall of undead surged forward. A seemingly endless tide of death and decay that craved for their flesh. A hunger that wouldn't be denied as their next meal crowded together in what looked to be their final stand.

"We're not giving up." said Saya gritting her teeth as she gripped the blood soaked shotgun by the barrel.

"We will survive." said Kohta slamming in his last clip. "Right Chase?" he looked down at his friend and saw him not moving.

The american stood, empty pistol in one hand, blood drenched machete in the other. His vest and clothes also coated in the undead's blood with a few tears in his hoodie as he faced the coming horde. Everyone looked to him as he remained motionless.

Slowly, he turned and faced them. Their blood ran cold when they saw the look on his face. The look of someone who knew the truth about their situation, the look of hopelessness and resignation to the inevitable.

The look of someone who knew they were about to die...

**A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Even with all his experience, Chase knows when a situation is too fucked up to handle. And everyone got a good glimpse of what that experience cost him in the first place.**

**Given the level of suspense on this bad boy I'll try to update quick. But Don't be too surprised if it takes me a little while to get it all together.**


	8. Separated

**A/N: Two in one day, but like I said last night; I couldn't just leave a cliffhanger like that and leave you guys hanging in such a way. What kind of author would I be if I did that...(Insert evil snicker here.)**

**Anyway, this chapter will have a couple of good flashbacks that'll answer a few more questions...and also really lay the ground work for the romance option that you all have voted for. Many of you will know where this is going...so let's get this started.**

**Disclaimer:...really? What do you guys think?**

_**"...have you ever faced death before? Most people never do until the very end of their lives. But when you find yourself in a situation where the chances of survival are lower than the deepest trench in the ocean, then you'd know exactly what was going through our heads at that moment."**_

_**"There were too many Zekes for us to take down. Kohta and I were down to our last couple of mags and everyone was feeling the strain of the constant fighting. We were out numbered, exhausted, and had no options left."**_

_**"To be honest...I didn't expect any of us to survive." **_

**X**

The group stood their ground as the literal wall of undead closed in on them.

Takashi held on to Rei as she laid on the ground in pain with Saya standing next to them holding the shotgun like a baseball bat. Chase and Saeko standing in front with their weapons clenched tightly in their hands as they prepared for what would most likely be their last stand.

Shizuka kept trying to get the Hummer started only for the engine to stutter and die every time.

Everything looked hopless as the survivors looked ready to accept their fate.

Zero suddenly started barking, leaping out of the Hummer and charging toward the walkers and sinking his small teeth into the ankle of the first one he saw. The white puppy held on tightly as the walker dragged him across the ground as he tried to stop it.

Seeing the situation they were in Kohta set his rifle aside as he reached into the vehicle and pulled Alice out. "There we go." he said bringing her up on to the roof.

"Kohta, what are you doing?" asked the little girl shaking in fear.

Kohta smiled, "You and Zero are going to jump over the wire." he said gently.

Alice's eyes widened, "B-But what about everyone else?" she whimpered looking at the approaching walkers.

"Everyone will be there in a little while." said the chubby teen as the others got ready to fight. "Everything's going to be alright."

"THAT'S A LIE!" Alice screamed startling Kohta. "When daddy died, he made the same face as you." she said with tears in her eyes. "He said everything would be alright, then he died!"

She shook her head from side to side, "No, no, no, no! I don't want to be alone! I want to stay with my big brothers and big sisters!" she clung to Kohta and wouldn't let go. "I want to stay together forever and ever! Don't leave me behind! Please!"

"I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE!"

Chase's eyes widened as Alice's cries awoke another memory;

_Flashback_

_Chase sat alone in one of the huts that made up the survival camp on Palanai. It had been two days since the ship they were all detained on ran aground just off the coast of the island and spread the virus all over again. He and the other immune had managed to help the other survivors on Palanai create a well defended safe zone and clear out any undead in the surrounding area._

_The teen had found himself a little hovel to set up in while everyone else settled down to eat and plan their next move. Their new comrade, John Morgan, had made a good addition to their little group. He'd been imprisoned on the ship with them when he refused to kill civilians as ordered and also turned out to be immune like the rest of them. _

_Now he was helping with the planning of what they should do to get off this island and reach the naval blockade around the gullopagos before Palanai was nuked. _

_A knock at the door made his head perk up. Purna stepped into the small hut with a metal tray of food. "Thought I'd find you here." she said setting the tray down on a nearby table. "One of the people here really knows how to turn shitty canned food into something good." _

_The Australian looked at the teen who hadn't said a word. She sighed and sat down next to him. "You okay?" _

_Chase chuckled humorlessly, "I'd say yes but you'd know I would be full of shit." he said with his voice sounding rough from a long time of no use. _

_Purna looked him over. His clothes were bloodied and torn from all they had been through on Banoi, along with their little skirmish on the ship before they were caught by the storm and beached. She didn't expect the kid to be 'alright', nothing about what he and the rest of them were forced to endure was alright. _

_"Is this about what happened with Jin?" the dark skinned woman winced when he saw Chase flinch. The subject had been taboo since they watched the girl die shortly before they left the prison. _

_"It's everything." said the teen. "Jin, my parents, everything we've been through, what's happening now, and what'll happen if we actually manage to survive all of this."_

_He breathed out slowly, "Even if I get out of this...I have nothing left. My folks are dead, I don't have any other close family, I'll be alone..."_

_The Australian reached up and put an arm around his shoulders. Purna had become the exo-facto leader of their little group and always looked out for everyone. Though since the beginning she had kept a close eye on Chase with everyone else. _

_The kid grew on them since they took him in. Despite how traumatized he had been seeing his parents the way he did, the teen did everything in his power to not only help them where he could but also bring up morale with a few good wise cracks and getting to know the others._

_It turned out that he was a fan of Logan's before his injury, and he liked Sam's one hit song which gave him some good common ground with the two older men._

_He could also fight and had a charismatic nature that made him easy to get along with. They all considered him like the little brother of the group, always getting into trouble but getting them out of tight spots when things got rough._

_"You're never alone, Chase." Purna said smiling at him. "As fucked up as it sounds, we're like a family. We need to stick together to get through this in one piece, and that means being there for each other when someone needs help."_

_Chase chuckled weakly, "I always wanted brothers and sisters." _

_The Australian grinned as chuckling came from the door. Looking up, they saw Logan leaning against the door frame with Xian, Sam and John standing behind him. "Well, you got 'em kid." said the ex-football player smirking. "We thought you were getting in over your head when you asked to come along with us. But you became one hell of a little badass in the end." _

_"Yeah lil'homie." said Sam. "Even after all the shit back on Banoi, your still ready to crush some heads. That takes balls." _

_"From what Ive heard, mate. You got a lotta guts." said John adjusting the blue cap on his head. "And after seeing what you lot can do after we broke out of that ship, I can see us making it through the long haul."_

_Xian sat on his other side and held his hand, "You're not as alone as you think you are. We'll be there for you like youve been there for us. And no matter what it takes, we'll all get out of this one way or another." she said smiling. _

_Chase gave a watery smile back, "I just...I don't want to lose anyone else." _

_Logan patted him on the shoulder, "You won't kid, we're too fucking stubborn to die."_

_Flashback End_

Chase blinked before narrowing his eyes dangerously. "No fucking way is it ending here." he growled holstering his pistol and sheathing his machete before drawing his bow staff.

"What are you planning?" asked Saeko taking a stance.

"Something stupid." said the american as he began walking toward the coming horde. "I've lost everything to this fucking virus once already. I'm not losing anymore!" he roared making everyone jump.

He felt the blood boil in his veins as he felt unbridled rage fill his very being. "I'm not letting these undead fucks take away the people I swore to protect! Even if I get torn apart and eaten alive I'll take each and every one of these bastards with me!" Chase's vision went black and white with a few tints of red.

(A/N: That's right boys and girls! IT'S FURY TIME!)

"Takashi!" Chase shouted as he braced himself. "You and Kohta take care of the girls!"

"Chase what the hell are you doing!" Kohta shouted back as Alice watched terrified.

"Doing what needs to be done!" the american exclaimed as he charged headlong into the horde with a rage filled battle cry. Swatting, smashing and splattering the skulls of every walker in his path as the undead turned their attention from the cornered group to the closer source of flesh.

Saeko's eyes were wide with everyone elses seeing the animalistic assault Chase was committing against the undead. Gripping her wooden sword, the bushido beauty charged in his wake. Killing any other walkers that managed to avoid the raging man's attack.

Chase swung the bow staff in a wide arc, striking several walkers in the head and sending them flying back and knocking over others that were drawing in closer. He used the staff to pole-vault into the air and bring the end down hard on the skull of an Infected that had been sprinting in his direction.

A second Infected came up from behind but was struck down by a bloody kendo stick. "Chase go! I'm right behind you!" she shouted while spin kicking a walker hard enough to snap it's neck.

Drawing his machete in his right hand, he began running again as he took the heads off of a few walkers as he ran by them. "COME ON YOU UNDEAD FUCKERS!" he shouted dragging the machetes blade along the wall next to him making a loud screeching noise and sending sparks shooting into the air.

His bow staff spun in his other hand knocking away any of the creatures that got too close.

The remaining walkers all turned in the duo's direction as they broke through the other side of the horde. "COME OVER HERE!" Saeko called out slamming her kendo stick against a lamp post as they all began to shuffle after them.

A Thug came up to her and swung it's arm down like a heavy club only for the girl to leap aside and crush its kneecap with a thundering crunch and dropping it to the ground. Chase ran up and drove his bow staff into its right eye socket, the momentum causing it to burst out the back of the Thugs skull.

Five Infected ran out from the horde straight at them. Chase sheathed his machete and took out one of his .45s. Reloading his last clip and firing at the oncoming undead.

The round tore through the lead Infected's leg causing it to pitch forward and fall to the ground, tripping the ones running behind it and sending them sprawling to the ground as they started running in the opposite way of the group.

"Chase this way!" Saeko shouted as she started knocking walkers away from a staircase and giving them time to head upward.

The american kicked a walker down the stairs and knocking the others down toward the end. "Come and get it!" he shouted crushing another's head against the wall next to them before running up the rest of the way to meet up with Saeko.

Both fighters leaping over a deep gap in the building before looking back.

To their horror, the horde had broken off the pursuit and was beginning to make their way back to the others. "NO!" Chase shouted taking his pistol and firing twice into the air. "OVER HERE YOU FUCKING ZEKES!" Saeko slammed her kendo stick against the railing to add to the noise.

The others all crowded close to the Hummer as the large group of undead began to converge on them again. Alice was crying as Kohta tried to get her over the razor wire blocking their path. "NO! I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YOU!" she screamed as the undead closed in around them.

"Everybody get down!" The group turned and saw a group of people dressed in firefighter suits lined up on the other side of the razor wire. The ones at the head of the group raised high pressure water cannons and began blasting the walkers away from them while a couple others raised a ladder up on to the side of the Hummer from their end.

Another grabbed the wire and raised it up allowing Takashi and Saya to help Rei through while Alice, Shizuka and Kohta took Zero down the ladder to the other side. "Hurry! We'll come back for the car later!" said one of the suited people helping them along.

"Firemen?" wondered Saeko.

Chase let out a breath of relief, "At least the others are safe." They both heard Saya cry out 'Mama' and looked back down to see the pinkette genius hugging one of the firefighters which was a woman with long dark pink hair. "I take it that's Saya's mother?" he asked.

Saeko nodded with a small smile, before looking down where they came grimly. "It turns out our situation isn't getting better."

They looked down and saw the gathered walkers milling around on the road below them blocking any chance of getting back to the others. "We're not going to get help from them will all those damn Zekes milling around." said Chase holstering his pistol and shaking the blood off of his bow staff and putting it away as well.

He looked around before seeing a path through the buildings behind them. "This way." he said heading in that direction. Saeko took one last look at where the others were before going after him.

Their group looked at where the duo disappeared and silently wished them luck and hoped that they saw each other again very soon.

"Kohta?" asked Alice after seeing Chase and Saeko vanish.

"They'll be okay." said the chubby teen rubbing her hair. "Saeko is strong, and Chase won't let anything stop him."

Saya released her mother and looked up to where the others had been watching before running back to the fense. "We'll wait for you!" she called out. "At my place! We won't go anywhere without you!"

After a few minutes of silence she turned back to her mother. "Mama...is daddy..."

Ms. Takagi nodded with a smile, "Yes, your father is still with us."

Saya reached into the large pocket of the white jacket she was wearing and produced Chase's journal. "He needs to see this, it's very important." she said serious. Ms. Takagi looked at the old leather-bound book with narrowed eyes and wondered what her daughter and her friends had brought to them.

**X**

_**"Surviving what had happened an hour prior, the situation Saeko and I found ourselves in was like a breath of fresh air. Even though we were only two people in a city full of Zekes we still managed to stay alive."**_

_**"And the others were safe. Now it was just a matter of finding out way back to them." **_

**X**

Chase peered around the brick column he was behind at the next street to find it filled with walkers. "Dammit, we can't get through here either." he said as Saeko watched the direction they came from to make sure it remained empty.

"We should double back and find another route. We didn't encounter any of them on the way here." said Saeko as they began moving again.

The sun started to set as the duo kept moving down several streets and alleyways to find a safe passage to the Takagi Estate.

They could see the large mansion on the hill in the distance to the North. But it seemed that it was so close, their salvation couldn't have been farther away. "If only we had a ride, we'd get there faster." said the american as he came to a stop from realization.

"Wait...didn't we pass a car shop on the way in from the river?" he asked looking at his partner.

Saeko's eyes widened, "We did. If it's still as quiet as it was on the way in we should be able to get there with no trouble."

With a new heading, the duo found another road that would take them back to the auto shop that they had passed when they first got there. Skirting their way around a few groups of undead here and there to avoid a confrontation as they kept moving.

Finding themselves at the shop. Saeko stood guard with her kendo stick while Chase used his K-Bar to silently break the lock on the door and let themselves inside. The place was filled with clothes, packs and other supplies. Along with a long line of brand new motorcycles just waiting to be driven.

After checking to make sure that the place was empty, Chase began to look over the row of bikes. "I'll find our ride. Gather any and all supplies you'll think we'll need." Saeko nodded as she set about gathering the supplies as he checked each vehicle over extensively.

"A bike is fine, but riding tandem would be dangerous." said the bushido master as she gathered various things into a backpack she pulled from one of the shelves. "We're not on a date, after all." she said with a hidden smirk.

The american looked in her direction with a slight smirk of his own before he continued his search.

Heading into the dark room that branched off from the main floor. Flicking on the light, Chase grinned as a small-sized, four wheeled vehicle was displayed. It was built like a rover and looked to have amphibious capabilities. "How bout this?" he asked getting Saeko's attention. "It can even go on water from the looks of it."

After examining the vehicle thoroughly, Chase got into the driver's seat and saw that it had handle bars instead of a steering wheel but had pedals like a car. He started it up and revved the engine a little as Saeko tossed the full backpack into the back seat. "You look to be enjoying yourself." she said smiling as she hopped into the seat next to him. "Can you even drive this?"

Chase grinned, "We're about to find out."

**X**

Within minutes, the two teens were on the empty streets as their new ride got them along much faster. It had taken Chase a couple moments to get used to the controls for the vehicle but had it down quickly.

They turned the next corner in the road and saw walkers milling in the path. "This just got interesting." said Saeko over the sound of the engine as she stood holding the top of the vehicle's roll-cage. "What's our next step? You have a plan right?"

"I do. But..." Chase trailed off as a smirk stretched across his face.

"But?" asked the girl wondering what was going on inside the his head.

"This might be a little _too_ interesting. You may wanna hang on to something." said the american as they drew closer to the undead.

Saeko smiled, "I'll never get bored with you around will I?"

Reaching the end of the road, Chase launched them over he side and down a steep grassy incline leading down to the river below. The walkers spun around and went to go after them only to trip and fall down the slope.

Pulling into a stop, Chase and Saeko looked back to see the undead hitting the ground hard after their fall. Blood and bone splattering across the ground as they slammed into the concrete under them. "Zekes can't take stairs or slopes too well, gives us an advantage." said the survivor.

Saeko narrowed her eyes, "That maybe true, but..." they watched a few zombies start to stagger to their feet. Others pulling themselves up on their arms and started dragging themselves across the ground toward the duo. "That would be too easy, wouldn't it." she said gripping her kendo stick as the walkers crowded around them.

"Then let's take this off road!" Chase exclaimed hitting the gas and shooting them toward the edge of the river ahead of them.

"Chase what are you planning!" Saeko asked as they drew closer to the water's edge.

"Taking advantage of this things water abilities." said the american. The girl's eyes widened as they flew off of the shore and hit the river, sending water splashing in all directions as the vehicle began to power it's way through.

Shaking the water out of his mohawk, Chase looked over his shoulder. "Hay Saeko, you okay back th-" he stopped mid-sentence as his mouth fell open.

The water had drenched Saeko's upper half making her white uniform top see through. Exposing her D-cup bust contained inside a black and purple floral lace bra as the clothes clung to her skin.

Chase couldn't stop himself from staring making Saeko blush brightly and cover herself in embarrassment. "I'm a g-girl you know!" she shouted indignantly.

The survivor blushed and spun around, "R-Right...sorry..." he stuttered as he began driving them through the water in the center of the river.

After about 20 minutes, the walkers along the water's edge began to lose interest and began to wander away. Chase let out a breath of relief when he felt a nimble hand on his shoulder. "A man who sighs is not attractive." Saeko whispered into his ear.

The survivor smirked, "That so? I'll have to keep that in mind, considering I'm in the presence of a beautiful woman." he said back.

Saeko's face lit up red at the compliment while Chase was grinning inside his head, _"Guess Logan and Pruna taught me something useful after all."_ he thought as he drove the vehicle up on to a small island that was in the middle of the river and shut the engine off. "We can rest here for a bit while the Zekes wander off."

The teens hopped out and observed the area briefly before they got comfortable. Over head the sun started to dip farther into the horizon as they waited for the opportunity to return to the shore again.

Chase kept his eyes locked along the shore, watching the undead mingle around slowly as they searched for food. His mind going over possible plans for when they finally got back over to the other side.

He suddenly heard a sneeze and turned to see Saeko sitting on their transport. Arms across her torso pushing her breasts up with her head off to the side. "I'm s-sorry. I guess my body's a little cold." she said shivering.

She heard the sound of something being unbuckled and looked up to see Chase removing his vest and setting it down before taking it off before unzipping his hoodie and removing that as well exposing the black under armor shirt underneath.

"Here." he said handing the black hoodie to her. "You shouldn't be in wet clothes, you'll catch a cold. This should keep you warm."

Saeko smiled as another blush painted her cheeks. "Thank you." she said taking the shirt as Chase turned back around to give her some privacy.

She removed her wet uniform top completely exposing her black and purple covered chest. Her bra went next as she slipped the hoodie on and zipped it up. It was a little big on her, but it was dry, warm, and it smelled like Chase making the young woman smile as she inhaled the scent.

Chase kept his back to Saeko, fighting the urge to not look at the thought of a beautiful woman getting topless right behind him. After what felt like years he heard a soft, "You can turn around now." Looking back, the american's eyes widened a little seeing the bushido master looking comfortable in his hoodie as she tied her hair up in a pony tail like she had back at the safe house.

"Do I look strange?" she asked with a small smile.

Chase smiled, "Not at all, you look beautiful Saeko." he said making the girl's already noticable blush darken.

Saeko smiled at him, "Chase...ever since you and I met you always look at me as a girl."

"Well, yeah." said the american. "To be honest you're one of the prettiest girls I've ever met. But you're not just a pretty face." he continued with honesty. "Your elegance, compassion and skills with a sword would make anyone lucky to be in your presence alone."

If she had been blushing before, she was damn near glowing at that point. "Y-You can't mean that..." she said looking away from him.

"Have you ever known me to lie, Saeko?" Chase said raising an eyebrow. "To me, if you can't be honest with someone you're a coward." deciding to change tactics, he asked something that had been on his mind since they arrived at this place. "Was there...anyone that caught you're eye at school?"

Saeko looked at him with her blush fading a little, "That's a little sudden, don't you think?" she asked.

Shrugging, Chase just smiled. "I'm a curious guy. What can I say?"

The young woman smiled back as a small breeze caught her hair. "Well...there is a guy that I like." she said wistfully. "What about you? Are there any girls that have caught your attention?"

He was silent for a few moments. "I do, but..." Chase sighed as he turned back to the sunset. "It's hard to talk to her since..." he shook his head warding the memory away.

"Chase?" asked Saeko looking at his back with concern.

The american blew air out of his nose as he closed his eyes. "I cared about someone else...before I got off of Banoi. We became good friends after her father had been bitten and me and the others had to put him down. She helped us through a lot of rough spots as we tried to help the other survivors and find a way off the island."

"What was her name?" asked the young woman, a little relieved to be getting him to open up to her.

Chase smiled sadly, "Jin. Her name was Jin. She was a bit of a tomboy, but she really knew her way around cars and had this way about her that could make anyone smile. Guess that was what attracted me to her." he said remembering the Banoi local that he had become such good friends with.

His mood quickly changed and became dark. "But...everything went bad when we went to the local town of Moresby. We were looking for a way off the island and was trying to help the survivors that were held up around the city. It was there we discovered that a good number of the people holed up didn't care about the people still trapped on the streets being killed. We decided to finish up fast and head back to the lifeguard tower back by the resort to find the location of someone who had helped us over the radio since the whole infection began."

"Jin didn't like our idea and was dead set on helping the people of Moresby. We warned her to avoid the local police station, a bunch of gangbangers had turned the place into their headquarters and we knew that they weren't worth helping at all...she didn't listen to us..."

Chase clenched his fists in anger, "When we got back to the church we were using as a temporary haven...we found out that she went to the police station. Me and the others stormed the place, killing every motherfucker in our path until we found her." his body started shaking. "They beat her, raped her, like their own personal play thing!"

Saeko's eyes widened as she watched the survivor slowly try to calm himself. "She was never the same after that. Her innocence was already hanging by a thread seeing what happened to her father and the countless others on the island. That incident shattered it completely. And I was there for her every step of the way afterward, refusing to leave her side and promising that I'd help her get away from all of that."

He fell silent as if to gather his thoughts. "What happened to her, Chase?" asked Saeko.

"She died." the american said with such a dead tone in his voice making the girl gasp. "We went to the prison off the coast and found who was on the radio. A military Colonel named Ryder White lead us to our supposed 'salvation' only to find out he was manipulating us the whole time. Getting us to use our blood to try and make a cure for the Kuru virus because his wife had been infected."

"Things didn't really end well."

_Flashback_

_"What were you trying to do, Colonel?" Xian shouted over the pouring rain around them._

_"I don't have to explain myself to you!" said Ryder aiming a pistol at the survivors. His infected wife strapped to a stood up gurney behind him as she snapped her jaws in their direction. _

_"Look, your wife is gone! Look at her! She ain't coming back! But you can still save us!" said Logan trying to reason with him._

_The Colonel turned the gun on him, "You take one more step and you're dead! I have the cure, alright!" he exclaimed holding up the syringe filled with the serum that had been made. "The doctors in Sydney will make more. We'll send helicopters. We'll save everyone!" _

_Chase stood next to Jin, shotgun in hand as the deranged Colonel ranted and raved. "With a nuclear bomb? Kevin told us the plan. You're gonna kill everyone!" shouted Purna._

_Ryder aimed his pistol at the man in a prison jumpsuit that had helped them reach the roof. "Maybe I should start with you! I have no choice here, right! This virus threatens the entire world! Banoi is lost either way. _

_Jin stepped forward, "It's easy yo kill millions of faceless nobodies, isn't it?" she said emotionlessly._

_The Colonel aimed his gun at her. "Stay back!" _

_Chase reached to pull her back but she moved out of his reach. "They hardly seem Human." she continued as she walked toward the gurney where Ryder's infected wife kept struggling to break free. "But killing someone you love, that's not easy is it?" _

_"JIN!" Chase shouted as she unlocked the restraints and allowing the Infected woman to charge away from the gurney and grabbed the Colonel's arm. Taking a large chunk out of his arm before he threw her aside and smashing her head on the nearby helicopter. _

_"Son of a bitch!" Ryder hissed before turning his angry glare on the girl and fired his gun._

_Blood splashed through the air as the bullet went through Jin's chest. A second round followed suit and went through her stomach as she staggered toward the edge of the platform._

_Chase's shotgun fell to the ground as he ran, catching her before she could fall over and lowering her to the ground. "JIN!" he shouted as he put his hand over her bleeding chest as her life drained out of her. "NO! NO JIN!" he cried trying in vein to keep her alive._

_"Ch-Cha...se..." she gurgled with blood dribbling down out her mouth and down her chin. Her tanned skin already starting to pale horribly. _

_"Don't talk, just hang on! We'll-" she pressed a bloody finger to his lips silencing his words and giving a watery smile. The same hand reached up and stroked his cheek leaving a bloody smear in it's wake._

_The boy watched as the life faded from her hazel eyes. Her hand fell away as her body slumped lifeless in his arms. "Jin...?" he asked feeling his heart nearly stop cold. He bowed his head and rested it on her forehead as he clenched his eyes shut tightly as the tears started flowing._

_Ryder kept his weapon trained on the other survivors before taking the syringe and injecting himself with the cure. Within seconds his body started to convulse. Muscles stretching beyond the limit, skin ripping open as he changed and became infected right before their eyes._

_Chase looked up at the abomination that the Colonel had become. Teeth gritted in rage and sorrow as he laid Jin's body down gently and closed her eyes before scooping up his dropped shotgun. "Your going to pay." he growled racking the weapon as the others took up their own weapons. "YOUR GOING TO FUCKING PAY!" he roared firing round after round as the mutated Ryder charged them in a virally enhanced fury._

_Flashback End_

Saeko was speechless. The fact that he had lost a close friend, and someone she could tell he was growing feelings for, in such a way was both terrible and horrifying.

"We eventually killed the fucker." Chase said as he watched the sunset. "He was a tough son of a bitch too. Put every Zeke we went up against to that point feel like nothing in comparison. But we did it and made it off...only to end up detained by another shady fucker named Frank Serpo."

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Saeko standing behind him with a worried look on her face. In the next instant she had her arms around him and held tightly. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that." she said barely above a whisper.

Chase shuttered as he wrapped his arms around her. "I did my best to put it behind me...but it's a moment that will haunt me for a long time. I thought I would never get over it. That was until I met this new girl, she helps me through it and she doesn't even know she's doing it."

Saeko looked up at him and saw that their faces were only inches apart. "She sounds very special." she said as her eyes went from his to his lips and back.

"She is." said the american as his grip on her tightened a little. "She really is." their eyes locking with the beautiful woman in his arms. The moment felt perfect despite the horror just beyond the shores around them. Nothing could break it.

A loud bubbling filled the air making the teens break apart and look around on high alert. The water a little ways away from the small island was bubbling like a pot boiling. A moment later a large, bulbous form rose from the surface and began to trudge slowly forward.

"Fuck." Chase cursed as he reached down and pulled his machete out of his discarded vest. Saeko grabbed her kendo stick as the large undead stepped on to the island. Its gross body was bloated with dark grey and rotting flesh. It emitted a gurgling moan as it staggered forward on stubby legs that tried to support its girth.

"What is it?" asked Saeko as she tried to fight down gagging because of the smell the creature was emitting.

"Floater. Mostly found around watery areas. Keep your guard up!" said Chase gripping the large blade tightly.

A second gurgling moan joined the first as a second Floater came around their vehicle, forcing Saeko to stand back to back with Chase as the two disgusting undead closed in on them.

Chase gritted his teeth as he drew his pistol in his left hand, knowing full well he only had seven rounds left and had to make them count. "You fat asses are going to regret dropping in on us like that." he said as the duo prepared to fight.

**A/N: And a perfectly good moment ruined by fat, ugly ass zombies. Undead blood will be shed in buckets for that interruption. I'm on a good roll, so the update is coming soon!**


	9. Saving Grace

**A/N: I really am on a roll this week! I've been having such a drive with this fic that I just can't help myself at this point. But that being said you all are in for a treat.**

**It's time to get this romance thing one hell of a jumpstart, and there is only one good way to do it. That's right folks! I'm putting a lemon in this bitch! No bullshit, no fakes, just straight up! And I know for a fact that many of you have waited long enough for this shit, so no more waiting!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

_**"Saeko Busujima, ever since the day I first met her I knew that she was one of a kind." **_

_**"Everyone with eyes could see that she was beautiful, hell she was one of the prettiest girls at the academy. But it was more than her appearance that made her attractive. Her kind and compassionate nature under the controlled and neutral mask she wore made you truly see who she was.**_

_**"And her mastery with the sword made her into a force to be reckoned with when you got on her bad side, or opposing her with a sword of your own."**_

_**"Overall, she was the complete package to me. Beautiful, smart, kind, and a fighter. I couldn't have wished for a better woman to be attracted too. And a part of me always believed that she felt a connection with me as well."**_

_**"But deep down, I knew that she was hiding something. I could see it in her eyes whenever we fought together against the Zekes, like she was holding herself back out of fear. This had me worried for a while, what could scare such a controlled and sweet individual like Saeko?"**_

_**"Of course...the truth always comes out when you least expect it too. And when it does, it changes the way you see a person. For better or for worse."**_

**X**

Chase and Saeko stood back to back as the two Floaters lumbered toward them on both sides.

Their obese bodies, sickly grey with what looked to be their organs pressed tightly against the stretched skin, were exposed with only pairs of torn shorts and pants covering their lower halves.

"Do we have a plan?" asked Seako with her kendo stick in a ready position while the Floaters emitted gurgling moans as they got closer.

Chase kept his .45 trained on the one in front of him. He only had seven bullets in the clip and knew he had to make them count since the rest of his supply was left with the others. He clentched the grip on his machete with his right hand. "They hit hard at close range, and they can absorb punishment pretty damn well. Their knees and heads are their weak spots so aim for them."

Saeko nodded as he two fat zombies stopped a little ways away from them. The one before her began to ungulate as though it were coughing making her tilt her head. "What's it doing?"

Looking over his shoulder, Chase's eyes widened. "Get down!" he shouted grabbing her and leaping aside as the Floater launched a glob of green bile from its throat. The substance splattering on the ground where the duo had been standing while they quickly got to their feet. "Don't let that shit hit you!" said the american as the other Floater launched it's own projectile at them.

Dodging the shot, the bile splattered against the side of their vehicle. The acidic substance began to eat through the paint with a light sizzling and exposed the metal underneath. The two teens ran at the bloated creatures and went on the attack.

Chase slashed his machete along the side of the first Floater's belly causing blackened blood and a few entrails to ooze out. The undead took no notice of this and swung its thick arm at him forcing him to duck and roll under it.

Now behind the Floater, the american stabbed and slashed at its back as it tried to turn around. But given it's heaviness, the large creature was unable to about-face fast enough to get at him as he remained behind it and continued his assault.

Saeko dodged around several more globs of green bile launched at her from the second Floater. Sliding across the ground and slamming her kendo stick hard into its right leg with as much force as she could.

The Floater stumbled back a step from the strike. Rearing itself back before letting loose a jet of toxic bile in a wide arc in front of it in an attempt to hit the girl.

Rolling across the ground, the bushido master got behind the obese zombie. Leaping into the air and bringing her wooden sword down on to its head making it stumble ahead and fall flat on its front.

With it down, Saeko leapt up on to the Floater's back and began smashing her kendo stick repeatedly to the back of its head. Each strike making sickening crunches when the wooden sword made contact with the back of the zombie's skull.

The Floater began to push itself up, Saeko leapt up and spun in the air before kicking it hard in the side of the head and flipping it on to its back. She spun her kendo stick in her hand before driving it hard into one of the soulless eyes of the creature's bloated face and piercing through to it's decaying brain.

Pulling the sword from the downed Floater. Saeko looked back to see Chase on the other Floaters back with his machete burrowed into its shoulder to keep him stable. The american held on tight as the zombie began to thrash and try to throw him off.

Bracing his feet on the Floater's back, Chase raised his Mark 23 and pressed the barrel to the back of its head before firing three rounds into it. The creature lurched with each bullet before collapsing to the ground hard and remained motionless.

Getting to his feet, the american pulled the machete from the downed undead and wiped the thick fluid off of the blade on to its back. "Well...that was a mood killer if I ever saw one." he said grinning at Saeko who couldn't help but smile back and giggle.

The duo heard more gurgled groans off into the distance and stood ready. "I think that is a sign for us to leave." said Saeko jumping into their ride.

"Agreed." replied Chase as he pulled his tactical vest back on and hopping into the drivers seat.

**X**

Getting back to land hadn't been difficult, but by the time they had the sun had already disappeared below the horizon and the street lights switched on illuminating the roads as the duo zoomed past a few lingering walkers as they made their way toward the Takagi estate once more.

"They're growing in numbers again." said Saeko seriously as they passed more and more undead on along their way. "It's going to be like the sandbank if this goes on."

Chase turned them around a wide corner sending a couple walkers flying and crashing into a nearby wall. His eyes widened seeing a park up ahead, when he saw a large fountain in the center of the park he began to form a plan. "I think I got it." he said grinning.

"A park?" asked Saeko.

"We're not going there for an evening stroll!" said the american as he hit the gas. They flew through the parks main gate catching the attention of every zombie in the surrounding area. The rover went up the stairs leading to the fountain and sent a wall of water flying in all directions.

Seako shook herself as she was splashed for the second time that day. "Is making girls wet your hobby?" she shouted while shaking off the water on her head.

Chase just couldn't help himself. "Only if they're as beautiful as you." he said with a smiled that left her beet red and speechless. He reached into the pack they'd put together back at the shop where they got the rover and pulled out a roll of duct tape.

Ripping off a long piece he strapped down the clutch making the rover power forward and follow the center of the fountain in a wide circle. The nearby walkers approached hearing the noise and began to surround it.

"I get it now." Saeko said in realization. "You're using the noise to lure them, and then..."

Chase nodded as he stood up and strapped the backpack on. "We'll take the East exit. From there we should reach Saya's place with the least amount of Zekes blocking the way." he said taking out his bow staff. "I only have four rounds left for my pistol, and I'd rather not use it. The echo would draw their attention to us."

Saeko smirked, "I see." she said pulling out her kendo stick. She leapt off of the rover and crushed the skull of the closest walker with a powerful strike. Spinning on her heel, she bashed another undead in the back of the head and knocking it away.

Stretching her arm out, she pressed the end of her wooden sword to the forehead of a walker that had been approaching her right side and stopping it in its tracks. "You stink." she said evenly. "Why don't you at least wash your hair?"

In the next moment the walker was sent flying from a hard strike. Chase watched the zombie fly over his head and land in the pond before it was run over by the still moving rover. "...hot damn..." he muttered turning back to see Saeko moving with a quickness he didn't know she possessed. Taking down walkers left and right with a sadistic grin on her face as she went about it with manaicle joy.

_"She's so fucking sexy right now." _the american thought as watched her move.

Saeko took down two more undead, grinning from ear to ear as she lost herself to her darker side. She pun around ready to fight more when she stopped dead in her tracks. Eyes widening as she felt her whole body go numb.

Before her stood three walkers, children walkers that looked like they couldn't be older than Alice when they died and turned.

She stood frozen in place, kendo stick poised to strike but was just as still as the rest of her as she stared at the undead children with crippling horror.

Chase smashed an Infected aside with his bow staff and saw what was happening. "Saeko!" he shouted seeing the young walkers getting closer to her frozen form. But she didn't move. "Shit!" he ran up the steps toward where she was standing just as the first undead child reached her and leaned out to bite.

Pushing Saeko out of the way, his boot connected hard with the walker's forehead and snapping it back loudly. He lashed out with his bow staff next and knocked the remaining undead out of the way and saw that more were coming. "Dammit."

He grabbed the still stunned girls hand and began running in the opposite direction. "This way, come on!" he shouted as he kept them moving.

For the next hour they steered clear of and groups of undead as they tried to find shelter. The air became colder as night fully set in, by then Chase had led them up a cluster of stairs leading to a shine on the top of a hill. "This will have to do." he said looking back down to the base of the stairs and seeing walkers skulking by.

Saeko had been silent the whole way as he pulled her up the rest of the steps and to the shrines front door. The american pushed the large wood doors open revealing a ceremonial alter with two katana on display in the large dark room.

Shutting the doors tight, Chase picked up a large square log and used it to seal them completely. He turned and saw Saeko on sitting in the center of the room holding her right arm with her left. She still hadn't said a word, the silence filling the room was both tense and a little uncomfortable.

But the look he had seen in her eyes was familiar to him. It was something he had seen in the eyes of his fellow immune those two years ago whenever they encountered something that shook them to their core. It wasn't the undead children, not completely anyway, but it had triggered something in her mind that caused her to freeze up in mid-swing.

Something the Chase himself had felt countless times.

"It's too dangerous for us to move right now. We'll stay here until morning before making a break for Saya's place." he said into the silent room. He received no response as he headed to the altar and set tha backpack down. Taking out his zippo and lighting a few candles that were present to give them some light.

Removing his vest and setting it and his weapons with the pack, Chase walked over to the two katana and picked one up. Pulling the blade from the scabbard and looking it over with a close eye. "It's real, blade's a little dull but can still cut." he mumbled to himself. "Could probably take down a couple Zekes before breaking..."

He looked over at Saeko who still looked deep in thought. Huddled within his hoodie like she was trying to keep warm.

Re-sheathing the sword and putting it back with the other one. Chase picked up the pack and walked over to her. "Saeko." he said kneeling down next to her and rummaging through the pack and taking out her uniform top and bra. "Your clothes are all dried out for you." he looked up and saw her looking in his direction. _"It's a start."_ he thought to himself.

Then he decided to try another tactic to break the ice. He pulled out a green package and handed it to her. "Got this for you as well."

She took the package with a questioning look. Chase made himself as serious as possible as he leaned in, putting a hand to the side of his mouth and whispered. "It's a portable john...just in case."

Silence...then Saeko cracked a smile before she started giggling. The sound alone made the survivor smile as he started to laugh along with her.

"Oh you." Saeko said after a little while with a smile still on her lips.

They settled down after a bit. Having a small meal of energy bars and bottled water as they sat in a slightly more comfortable silence. Saeko remained in Chase's hoodie, which had puzzled the american and made him wonder why she hadn't switched back into her own clothes. But as long as she was comfortable he wasn't complaining.

"You never asked me...about what happened." she said breaking the silence.

Chase kept his eyes trained forward toward the sealed doors. "I figured that whatever it was, was personal. I don't like digging into people's lives without an invitation." he said honestly. "And from the look on your face back there, it was serious. All the more reason for me not to pry."

He glanced her way and saw her looking at him with an expression he couldn't read. "I thank you for that. But..." she trailed off as though she were gathering her thoughts. "Would you...listen to me?"

The american turned himself so he was facing her. "I'll always listen if you want me to." he said seriously. The wind howled outside the shrine as the two teens saw in the flickering light of the candles.

Saeko took a deep breath before she started speaking. "It came back to me...My fear..." she said lowly.

"Because of the children?" asked Chase.

The young woman shook her head, "Though it was troubling, that wasn't the reason." she looked up at him and smiled. "Back at the sandbank, you asked me if there was someone I liked." the smile slowly faded, "But...I could never tell him how I felt. I thought I was never good enough to tell him."

Tilting his head in confusion, Chase asked. "You could get any guy you want, Saeko. Why would you think you're not good enough? Anyone would climb the highest mountain to be with you."

She was silent a moment, "Even if I killed someone?" That made the american go quiet. But his expression remained calm and collective as she continued. "Four years ago, I was attacked by a man in the night. Of course I got away unharmed, because I had my wooden sword with me at the time."

"I broke the man's shoulder and femur. After I explained everything to the police, they gave me a ride home."

Chase whistled, "A little excessive. Though I'm sure the bastard deserved it." he admitted.

"That's not what's bothering me." Saeko said jumping back in. "It was fun..." The survivor raised an eyebrow as she went on. "Having a real enemy in front of me, I enjoyed it." she looked up at him with glazed over eyes and he knew that she was reliving her memory.

"At that time, I knew that I had the advantage with my wooden sword with me. I acted like I was afraid to lure him in...I didn't even try to hold back. I enjoyed it. It was so exhilarating that I couldn't stop myself." her voice grew a little louder with each passing second until she was nearly shouting. Her face changed into the same one Chase had seen back at the park.

Wild, manic, and full of blood lust. "That...is the real me!" she exclaimed. "That is Saeko Bushujima's true nature! I was drunk on my own power! Do you think you can see me normally knowing that I was pretending to have the heart and soul of a young girl?"

Chase's expression remained the same. However, his mind was reeling from the confession Saeko had made. It was almost like looking into a mirror in a strange way.

The young woman quieted down after a moment, "I've been like this for a long time. I realized it, in front of that fountain. I haven't changed one bit...Actually, I've only gotten worse. How can anyone be with someone so undeserving of love and care? How can anyone be with a monster who craves battle?"

Saeko looked up when she felt a hand clasp around hers. Chase was now in front of her with a serious look in his eyes that made her heart skip a beat. "Your not a monster." he said in a soft, but stern voice. "I've seen real monsters. And I'm not talking about the Zekes. You beat a would-be rapist to a bloody pulp...but you didn't go out an attack a random person on the street. You took down someone who would have targeted another girl who probably couldn't defend herself. You _saved_ people Saeko."

He looked into her eyes as he spoke again, "If were comparing whose the bigger monster in this room...I think I'd win hands down." the bushido master looked about to say something but he cut her off. "You killed _one_ person...you wanna know how many I've killed?"

Chase looked to the floor and closed his eyes, "41. And they weren't Zekes." Saeko's eyes shot open wide as he looked back up at her. "My first kill made me sick. Knowing I took a Human life that wasn't reanimated. It was some random thug that took a pot shot at me while he was stripping a downed plane's cargo for supplies. I fired back...and killed him."

"My second was a little easier, the others told me it was self defense and I was protecting myself and them from harm. By the time I reached eleven I didn't care anymore. Anyone who attacked me or the others I saw as a threat and took it down." he looked into her eyes and knew he was getting through to her. He gave a small smiled, "You and the others have already seen glimpses of mine."

Saeko remembered how he blew up when they first crossed the river, then how he tore through the horde of undead when the group was cornered. "We're alike." she said putting it all together.

Chase nodded, "You're right." he said gripping her hand a little. "And you do deserve to be loved and cared for, Saeko. We all have our inner demons. Some are more horrible than others. But they're a part of who we are, and at desperate times they can become a tool that we can use to even the odds."

"But they don't have to change who we are. When people see you, they don't see the girl who killed someone out of blood lust. They see a young woman who fought her way out of a bad situation and made the streets a little safer from a rapist that would have struck again."

She didn't know why, but the american's words were making her chest feel warm with each passing moment. A blush dusted her cheeks hearing the honesty in his words. "What do you see...when you look at me?" she asked, scooting closer and trying to fight down the feelings that were beginning to overwhelm her.

Chase smile widened, "I see a beautiful woman. Who has a good heart and a quick mind that would be the envy of anyone believing they were worthy enough to be in her presence. Whose skill with a sword enhances that beauty and making her look like a warrior goddess. And that any man would die a thousand times just to spend five minutes with her."

Saeko face was hotter than the sun. No one had ever said anything like that about her. And the man before her had said it with so much confidence and with no hesitation. Meaning he meant every word and would most likely do anything to prove them true.

"The girl you mentioned before. She's lucky to even know such a man like you." she said as they now sat close enough together that their knees were touching.

"Maybe...But I have to do something important for her." said the survivor not taking his eyes off hers.

"What?" asked the young woman as she heard her heart pounding in her chest.

Chase reached out and cupped her cheek gently, "Proving to her that she deserves to be loved." Their lips connected and it felt like lights were bursting behind their eye lids.

Saeko's arms immediately went around his neck as he pulled her into his lap so that she was straddling him. Their lips moving in perfect sync as they poured everything they felt into one another.

His tongue traced her bottom lip and she allowed him entry immediately as their kiss became more intense. A moan came from the back of Saeko's throat when Chase's tongue moved against hers as she felt him moved them to the floor.

Now on top of her, the survivor began trailing kisses down her jaw to her long pale neck. The bushido master's eyes drifted shut as another moan came from her. Hands moving up Chase's back and threading through his mohawk as she felt jolts of pleasure shot from her neck down between her legs.

Leaning back, Chase looked into her half lidded eyes as he reached up and began to unzip his hoodie. Exposing more of her soft pale skin in the candle light. He didn't want to push her too far. Giving her more then enough room to push him away if she felt even the slightest bit uncomfortable.

Saeko knew what he was doing and was touched at his obvious care for her feelings. Deep down she knew that she wanted this, she never met such an honorable, courageous, and compassionate man like Chase before. He made her feel both joyful and alive, something no other has ever done before.

Reaching up, she wrapped her fingers gently around his and helped pull the zipper down. Past her breasts and her naval before reaching the end and allowing it to slip open exposing her upper body to him.

Chase took a moment to look at the skin that was revealed. Saeko's body was very toned from her physical work in her kendo lessons. Her waist was slim giving her an hourglass figure with a small four pack. Her hips flared out in a tantalizing way that many would love to watch.

Moving farther north, he looked at her exposed breasts. They weren't overly massive like Shizuka's. But they were above what would be considered a norm. rose-pink nipples dotting both peaks that blended well with her alabaster skin. They were perfect, just like the rest of her.

Feeling self conscious from the staring. Saeko brought her arms up to cover herself only to have Chase's hands stop her. "Don't" he said gently looking into her eyes. "You're beyond beautiful...you're perfect. Never hide yourself."

She blushed at his worlds as he released her arms and dipped his head to place a kiss on her belly button. She gasped when she felt him trail his lips up the length of her body leaving fire in his wake. Breath coming out in pants as he came to her chest where he paused.

She didn't have time to wonder why when she felt his tongue stroke her left nipple. Her back arched off the wooden floor, eyes rolling in the back of her head as she let out a loud mewl. "Oh Kami..." she held his head where it was as the pleasure kept increasing. She'd never been touched like this. Her sensitive breasts sent shock waves to her core as he switched to her right nipple and gave it the same attention.

After a few moments, Chase moved from her chest back to her lips and brought her in for another deep kiss. He felt Saeko's hands slip under his under armor, leaning back, he helped her remove it revealing his muscled and scarred upper half to her.

Her crystal blue eyes looked across each muscle before her. Fingers tracing every scar she could see slowly before reaching the bite scar on his shoulder. She looked into his eyes and sent a silent message that he understood quickly.

Leaning up, Saeko placed a gentle kiss over the crescent shaped marks before placing another on his neck over his pulse point. Getting a groan out of him as she slipped out of the hoodie and brought him down on top of her and pressing their chests together.

They're breathing was labored as they began kissing again. More clothes slowly being shedded as they exploded the other's body, taking sweet time to admire what the other's form as they connected on a physical level.

Now naked, the two teens laid panting as they continued to grope at one another. Chase slid his hand down her stomach until he reached her hairless mound. Seako moaned loud when she felt his fingers slowly slid up and down the length of her pussy. Her juices already flowing from all the attention he'd been giving her

"Kami...Chase, don't stop..." she mewled wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders and pushing her hips closer to his hand.

Chase smiled into her neck as he dipped a finger into her tight warmth and was rewarded with a gasp. Slowly pumping the digit in and out slowly, he felt Saeko's grip on him tighten even more. Her breath coming out in deep pants the longer he kept moving.

For her part, Saeko felt like she was on fire. The things her lover was doing to her made her whole being feel like it was being swallowed by pleasure. She felt her core convulsing rapidly as Chase kept pumping his finger into her. She could feel herself getting closer and closer to her peak.

"Oooooh Kami! Chase! I-I'm going to-!" she couldn't finish as her words were swallowed by uncontrolled gasps and moans from her own vocal cords.

"Cum for me beautiful." Chase whispered into her ear as he increased the speed of his finger. He felt her nails dig deeply into his back as he felt her pussy clench down. Saeko felt light explode in her vision as her whole body started convulsing wildly when she fell over the edge. Her body arching almost painfully off the floor while her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

Chase pressed his lips to hers muffling the loud screams she emitted while she climaxed. His hand was coated in her juices as she clenched her legs like a vicegrip on his hand to keep it in place.

Minutes passed, the american slowly helped Saeko down from cloud nine as her breathing started to slow down and her grip lessened little by little.

Still heaving from her climax, she looked up at Chase with half lidded eyes and a lazy smiled. "That was...I can't even..." he smiled down at her as she stumbled over her words.

"Glad I could impress." said the survivor with a wide smile. He took a deep breath, Seako looked at him oddly when she felt his arousal poking into her pelvis. "We can stop here." he said after a moment. "I won't push you into anything you're not ready for, Saeko."

If she wasn't touched before she defiantly was now. She could tell that his arousal was bugging him greatly, yet he continued to think about her and what she wanted. Saeko smiled lovingly up at him. "Chase." he looked at her before clenching his eyes shut and groaning.

Her soft hand wrapped around his member and began stroking it slowly. "I want this, Chase. I want to feel you inside me. I want to be connected with the only man to go out of his way to prove his feelings for me. She cupped his face with her hand, "I want you to make love to me. To be my first...and hopefully my last. Will you give me this?"

Chase looked into the eyes of the woman he had fallen for. He could see the love and trust in them that she was showing. How could he deny such a beautiful creature what she desires?

He moved over and settled himself between her legs, both finding it surprising that they fit together like two pieces to a puzzle. "It will hurt, are you sure you really want this?" he asked trying to make sure and give her a chance to back out.

Saeko nodded with a bright smile. "I've never been more sure of anything. And I will endure the pain just to be closer to you." She reached down and took him in her hand again and guided him to her entrance. "I'm yours." she said bringing both hands up to his face and bringing him down for a kiss.

Chase felt his heart swell at how much trust and love she was giving him. Laying down so that he was pressed against her, using his arms to take off most of his weight, he slowly began to push himself into her body.

Both of them groaned at the sensation. Chase from the tight wetness that surrounded him. Saeko from the feeling of being filled in a place she never knew was empty.

Pushing in farther, the american was met with resistance and knew what was coming next. Leaning back to look into her face, Saeko gave a nod saying that she was ready. Bracing himself, Chase pulled back a little before pushing in the rest of the way. Tearing her barrier and filling her completely in one stroke.

Saeko bit her lip as the jolt of pain that went through her. She was no stranger to the feeling but this was far different from what she was used to. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she felt Chase remain perfectly still. Whispering sweet nothings into her ear and kissing her tears away to try and help her through it.

Minutes passed, the two lovers remained in each others arms motionless as they waited for the pain to pass. Saeko felt her pain slowly ebb away and rocked her hips experimentally and felt a combination of extreme pleasure and a sting of pain shoot through her body. "C-Chase...move..." she groaned as the pleasure began to overpower the pain.

Given the green light, Chase began to slowly withdraw himself before slowly pushing back in. His length reaching all the way to her cervix as he continued the motion at a steady pace.

Whatever pain she was feeling was gone in seconds as Saeko was meeting her lover's thrusts in perfect rhythm. The tempo increased after a little while, slow and steady became fast and powerful. Moans and gasps filled the shrine as the teens held on to each other as the pleasure reached a whole new level.

Saeko wrapped her legs tightly around his hips as her whole body shook with each thrust into her pussy. "Chase! Oh Kami Chase!" she moaned into his shoulder trying to stay as quiet as possible.

"S-Saeko...so tight...warm..." he groaned back. Hands finding hers and intertwining together as he felt her walls convulse around him with each movement.

He felt his climax coming, his movements now locked in because of her long legs now wrapped around him. "Gonna cum...Saeko, I can't hold back much longer." he said trying to pull out only for her to hold tighter.

"It's okay." she moaned as she felt her own release coming. "I said I wanted this. I want it all, Chase. No holding back."

It took only a few more seconds after that. With one last thrust, Chase came hard inside of the woman under him, filling her completely and causing some to spill out of her on to the floor.

The feeling of his seed filling her core caused Saeko to cum immediately, mixing her juices with his seed as she felt her whole body tingle from the sensation.

Both lovers reaching their peak and falling over it together as the held on to one another like a lifeline.

Chase pulled back and rested his forehead against hers as they came down from their high, looking into her eyes in a whole new light. She looked back, an invisible glow around her that couldn't be tainted by anything.

They kissed each other gently, filled with promises of love and protection for one another that wouldn't be broken.

"I love you, Saeko." Chase said when the broke apart.

The bushido master smiled brightly at him, "I love you too, Chase."

Finding a space blanket in their pack, the two lovers curled up together under it and began to drift off to sleep. The next day already looking brighter for the two of them no matter what they had to face on their way to meet up with their friends.

Saeko fell asleep first, head on Chase's chest over his heart and arm drapped over him with a soft smile as she fell into peaceful slumber. The american watched her sleep with a smile of his own, despite everything he had been through in the past leading up to this moment, he'd been given an angel to help him see everything through.

She'd become a huge part of his life in such a short time, and he couldn't see his life without her.

It was then that the survivor realized that he'd go to the ends of the Earth for this woman. Do anything to keep her safe and loved no matter the cost...he'd found a new reason for living again.

And a new reason to keep fighting.

**A/N: I wanted to make the lemon scene longer, but I decided to save a few things for later in the series. And yes there will be more lemons in the future, you can bank on that. Let me know what you guys think, and I'll supply more kickass entertainment!**


	10. Together Again

**A/N: Hay everybody, been a couple of days since my last update. But I'm here now and ready to continue onward. This installment took a bit of thought before posting, it's one of my smallest chapters since starting this fic but it's more or less a filler with what I have planned for the near future. And the end will have a real show stopper you may not have seen coming.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it**

_**"It was the first time I've had a peaceful night's sleep in nearly two years. Saeko had brought out a part of me that I thought I'd never feel again, a part I thought lost when I watched Jin die in my arms."**_

_**"I loved this woman, and no matter what I would do everything in my power to protect her and stand at her side through this hell."**_

_**"However...this nightmare was far from over. And it would take everything we got just to get through it. But now at least me and her had another reason to keep going. And in a world where the things you cherish are being ripped apart, every little piece of hope is priceless.**_

_**"And without hope, we have nothing left to live for."**_

**X**

The sun had risen and was shining light into the dark shrine through the cracks in the doors and the small windows along the ceiling.

Candles around the room that had been lit the night before were nothing more than burnt out stubs of wax having been burning the whole night before.

One beam of light shined on Saeko's face making her stir. Eyes opening she saw that she was still resting on Chase's bare chest, the american still fast asleep with a peaceful expression on his face that she had never seen before.

The previous nights events came back to her making her smile as she nuzzled her head in the crook of her lover's neck. She knew that there was the risk of getting pregnant after what they did, but the young woman just couldn't find any regrets to be ashamed of.

She had always felt an attraction to Chase since they had first met when he joined the academy. But with her darker side she believed that she was undeserving of anything the american would give her emotionally.

But he had proven her wrong. He pushed through her emotional walls and saw who she truly was on the inside and still cared about her regardless of what she had done. He even went as far as to reveal some of his own inner demons just to show her that they were alike when it came to their darker natures.

Two souls tainted by the horrors of the world, yet shone brightly when in the presence of one another.

Saeko felt a rough, yet gentle hand stroke up her naked back. She looked up and saw Chase looking down at her with a small smile, "Morning beautiful." he said as his hand slid the length of her back making her shiver.

"Morning." said the bushido master leaning up and kissing him. "Last night was amazing."

Chase reached his other hand up to cup her cheek, thumb stroking her face. "You were amazing, beautiful. How are you feeling?" he asked a little concerned.

Saeko shifted her legs and winced a little when she felt a slight sting in her nether regions. "A little sore, but it should pass with time. But I have no regrets, the experience with you was worth the pain." she said smiling.

Chase smiled as he held her a little tighter. "I really do love you, Saeko. Being around you at school made me want to get closer to you. Then everything went to shit, and it just reached the point where I didn't want there to be any regrets should something happen to us." he admitted.

The young woman kissed his chest over his heart. "Nothing will happen to us. After everything we've faced, I have faith that we will make it through this...all of us."

"When you say it like that, I can't help but believe it." said the american with a small smile.

They laid cuddled together under the space blanket in a comfortable silence. Chase's mind still thinking back to the night before and how much pleasure they had given each other. He honestly couldn't have thought of anyone better to be with than Saeko Bushujima, and he never would again as long as they were together.

"We need to think about moving soon." said the young woman seriously. "We have to meet up with the others before nightfall."

Chase nodded, "I know. But lets enjoy the moment before dealing with the hell just outside the door." his response was her rubbing her long soft legs against his before settling in again.

After spending another half hour curled together, the couple got up and started getting dressed. Saeko was a little hesitant about dressing in front of Chase, but the survivor had come behind her and held her naked form to his. Telling her that she had a wonderful body and had nothing to be embarrassed about.

"It's not like it's something neither of us have already seen." he whispered making her blush.

Comforted by his words, the bushido master pulled on her upgraded school uniform while Chase put on his own outfit, tactical vest and weapons. "Saya's place isn't too far from here. We should be there in about 20 minutes tops if we don't run into too many Zekes along the way." he said checking the ammo he had left.

_"Four bullets...better make them count."_ the thought slapping the clip back into the pistol and chambering one of the remaining rounds. He looked at Saeko as she picked up her kendo stick. "I think you can do better."

The young woman looked up as the american walked to the altar and picked up the katana he had been looking over the other night and tossing it over to her. Looking the old sword over, Saeko pulled the blade from the scabbard and looked at the blade as it glinted in the light.

"Thank you, Chase." she said clicking the blade back into its sheath before slipping it into the belt around her skirt. "We should get moving, every second we spend here more daylight is fading." Chase nodded as he picked up the backpack with their supplies and threw it on.

Approaching the door, the american removed the barricade before drawing his machete. Looking back at his lover he received a nod as he grabbed the handle with his other hand and pulled the doors open.

The sudden burst of sunlight blinded them for a moment before their eyes adjusted revealing the courtyard of the shrine. A small amount of fog filled the area giving it a rather creepy feel to it. "I don't like this." Chase said griping his machete tighter as they went down the steps into the courtyard.

A low groan filled the air as a rotting hand reached up and grabbed the top step. The rotting form of a walker pulled itself up on to the landing followed quickly by several more. All around the courtyard more walkers began to gather.

"What the fuck..." Chase muttered taking a step back and drawing his K-Bar in his other hand. "No way in hell we made that much noise, so why are they here?"

The walkers began to circle around them on all sides as the survivor got ready to fight. "Guess we'll have to fight our way out." silence was his response. "Saeko?" he looked back and saw her standing stock still, eyes clenched shut as though she was struggling with something.

She opened her eyes and saw Chase now standing in front of her, his eyes locking with hers. Ignoring the undead as they drew closer. "Chase?" she asked wondering what he was doing.

"Saeko." he said cupping her face gently. "Let go. If you need a reason to fight, than _I'll_ be that reason. Just like you will be _my_ reason. No matter how much we let our inner demons out, we'll be there for each other to cope in the end." He smiled, "We'll bare our sins, and live with who we are. As a team...and a couple."

Saeko's eye shimmered before they hardened. She gripped her sword as she stepped out of Chase's grasp, "Thank you, I'm okay now." she said standing at the ready, newly acquired sword at her side with a hand on the hilt.

The katana clicked open.

In almost the blink of an eye, the young woman was across the courtyard. Three walkers suddenly gushed blood as their head rolled off their shoulders and collapsed to the ground.

All the other walkers began to converge on her. Saeko spun on her hell taking the heads off of a couple more, their blood spraying through the air as she felt her blood rushing. _"This is it."_ she thought driving her foot into another undead's face and taking it to the ground, driving her sword into its forehead and putting it down permanently.

_"This is it!"_ she began grinning as her blood lust began to overcome her. Hacking and slashing walkers all around with total abandon.

An Infected ran up the stairs and saw her moving, letting out an animalistic shriek before sprinting toward the sword wielding woman. Saeko saw it coming and ran toward it. Her blade flashed through the air as she stopped behind the red eyed zombie as it fell in half at the waist and causing blood to pool all over the ground. _"It can't get any better!"_

Chase burrowed his machete into the skull of a walker before throwing his knife into the eye socket of another. Pulling the large blade free, he spun on his heel and round house kicked an Infected that came at his back and sent it crashing to the ground before his foot crushed down on the back of it's head.

Looking up and seeing his girlfriend hacking away at the undead, he couldn't help but find it the sexiest thing he had ever seen.

Pulling his knife out of the walker he killed, he jammed the blade up through the jaw of another and put it down fast as he ran over to her as the remaining undead began to surround her. "Go get them babe!" he called out taking down a zombie along the way.

Saeko grinned as she twirled around, blade extended as she took the heads off of all the walkers crowding around her creating multiple fountains of blood as she stopped. Her breath labored as she looked at all the dead zombies with uncontrolled glee. "I...I'm getting WET!" she exclaimed shifting from foot to foot.

An arm wrapped around her waist, spinning her around to reveal her lover grinning at her. "You need help with that?" he asked lustfully.

Their lips crashed together in a frenzy. Saeko grinding her body against Chase's, desperate to get a pleasurable friction going with the man in front of her. The american more than happy to grant any wish she wanted as he reached back and squeezed her ass making her moan.

The couple split apart, breathing labored as they clung to each other. "We may wanna save this for another time beautiful." Chase said resting his forehead against hers. "But trust me...I'll make sure that you are _taken care of_ properly when we're some safer."

Saeko smiled brightly through the fog of lust clouding her mind as she held him to her. "Chase...you'll take responsibility, right?" she asked

Chase smiled as he kissed her softly, "I will. No matter what." he said with honesty. The breeze blew gently around them, despite the dead zombies all around them, the scene would have been considered very romantic by anyone passing by.

Though, the scene was shattered when a loud screech went through the air. The couple leapt apart and looked to the stairs leading to the shrine where a scrawny form leaped through the air and landed on the ground right in front of them.

Kneeling before them was a creature that was by far the most horrifying to date. It was very thin to the point of nearly being a skeleton. Whatever skin it had left was nearly bone white. The long hair on the top of its head was stringy and lifeless, covering a face that was as gaunt as the rest of its form. A pair of piercing red eyes glaring out at the couple as it stood ready to kill.

But the most outstanding feature was the sharpened forearm bones that stuck out of the stumps of its arms where its hands should have been. Blood staining them most likely from another recent kill.

"Butcher..." Chase breathed feeling dread creep up his spine. "Saeko stay alert, these things aren't to be fucked around with." he said deadly serious as he put his knife away and drew his .45.

The bushido master held her sword up, she heard the dread in her lover's voice clear as day and knew that it he was on guard about this creature than she should be too.

Hissing through its teeth, the Butcher let out a loud shriek before sprinting at the two teens. Chase fired a round that went right through the undead's chest, but it just kept moving as though nothing happened at all.

Saeko swung her sword in a wide arc only for the Butcher to raise its arms and block the steel blade with the extended bones. Shocked from the deflection, the young woman was barely able to leap out of reach of the strike aimed for her head.

Running at the creature's back, Chase slashed his machete downward and made a large gash along the Butcher's rotten flesh.

Shrieking in pain and rage, the Butcher spun around and lashed out with its left arm. The survivor brought up his machete and blocked the attack and ducked out of the way when the second arm swung around.

The Butcher was fast like the Infected, and was three times as aggressive. They were by far one of the most dangerous of undead that Chase had ever encountered before. And this one was living up to the name with its quick and deadly movements that kept both him and Saeko on their toes as they ducked, dodged and blocked strikes that would have killed them if they landed.

And on top of all that...the worst thing that this creature was capable of was making it hard for the teens to bring it down.

"It's regenerating!" Saeko said in both shock and horror watching as a cut she put on the Butcher's chest start to mend itself.

"The mutation in its body gives it that ability." explained Chase as the dangerous undead began to stalk toward them. "We need to take this bastard down fast before it wares us down and takes us out."

The Butcher shrieked and came at them with its deadly arms at either side. The couple stood ready as it closed the gap before going on the attack at the same time. Blades slashing through the air, making contact with the infected flesh and spilling blackish-red blood across the ground.

Oblivious to the damage, the Butcher slashed back. Forcing the teens to block and perry the blows so that they didn't take any damage. One attack got too close, making a three inch long cut in the front of Saeko's top and barely missing her breast as she leapt away.

One heavy strike sent Chase's machete flying, landing on the ground several feet away and forcing him to take out his bow staff as a jab was aimed for his heart.

He caught the undead's arm with the grip in the center, twisting the staff hard and pulling to the side sending the Butcher to the ground and rolling back to its feet. Hissing at the american in anger before shrieking in pain.

While distracted, Saeko burrowed her katana deep into the creature's side. The blade's tip sticking out of its opposite side and dripping with its blood.

The Butcher slowly turned its head in the young woman's direction and hissed so loud it sounded like a truck letting out break pressure. Saeko attempted to pull her blade free only for one of the creature's bone arms to come down hard and shatter the old metal at the hilt.

Saeko stumbled back from the sudden change as the Butcher charged for her, bone-arms poised to slice her to ribbons as it closed in fast.

"SAEKO!" Chase shouted crossing the ground quickly.

The sound of flesh being pierced and blood splashing filled the air sending the birds in the nearby trees scattering.

Everything was at a standstill. Saeko stood wide eyed as Chase stood in front of her. Right hand holding tightly to the Butcher's left arm and keeping it away, the thing's right arm...was burrowed into his side and being clutched in his left hand.

The american used every ounce of strength he had to make sure that the sharp bone didn't go any farther. Teeth gritted as he held the infected where it stood. His vision blurred from the pain as he kept the thing at bay.

Overcoming her shock quickly, Saeko dropped the broken hilt and drew Chase's .45. Wrapping her arms around his torso and using both hands to stabilize the pistol as she pressed it to the Butcher's forehead. "Go to hell." she said darkly before pulling the trigger.

The Butcher's head snapped back from the bullet as the young woman pulled the trigger again. Punching another hole through its right eye socket. The Mark 23 registered one last time, slide locking back as the last bullet went through its neck and severed the top of its spine as it exited out the back.

Everything went back into focus as the creature fell to the ground. Blood pooling around its head as the holes punched through it gushed on to the ground. Body twitching for a few seconds before going completely still and lifeless.

Chase fell into a kneeling position, hand clasped over the wound in his side as blood began to slowly began to drip from under his vest. "Fuck." he muttered feeling the burning pain pulse through him.

Saeko dropped down next to him, empty gun forgotten on the ground as she pressed her own hands to the wound. "We have to patch it up before we move." she said fighting back fear at seeing her lover in pain.

Slowly, Chase's vest we peeled away from the damaged area revealing a two inch long puncture wound in his side. It was bleeding pretty bad, thankfully the sharpened bone hadn't hit anything vital, but they had to stop the bleeding quickly before it got worse.

Taking out the small medical kit they pilfered from the store when they first got separated from the others, Saeko took out disinfecting alcohol, gauze and medical tape as she rolled up Chase's torn under armor shirt. "This will sting." she warned picking up the alcohol and unscrewing the top.

Chase nodded and clenched his teeth, "Do what you can, and hurry. More Zekes will show up soon if we don't move fast."

Breathing deeply, Saeko splashed a good amount of the disinfectant on the wound causing the american to hiss through his teeth as he fought down the urge to yell. Now cleaned, the young woman quickly pressed a thick gauze pad to the wound and strapped it down with the medical tape.

It wasn't the best job she was hoping to do. But considering their situation and the window of time they had it would have to do until they reached the Takagi estate. "This should hold until we regroup with the others." she said helping him to his feet.

Chase nodded and gave her a quick kiss, "Thank you, now...we better get going before we have more uninvited guests." he said breathing a little heavily.

Gathering their supplies and weapons, the couple quickly fled from the shrine and toward Saya's house. Doing their best to stay out of sight as they picked their way through the lifeless streets.

**X**

At the Takagi estate. Kohta was standing guard on one of the mansions balconies at the rear. Sharp eyes peeled for any sign of his friends should they come their way.

"Why are we at the back?" asked Alice from her spot at the chubby teen's side.

He smiled down at the little girl, "Because they'll have to come from the back if they're going around." he said making Alice nod in understanding.

Zero perked up from his spot by their feet and started barking happily. The two looked from the puppy to the gate they had been watching. Alice smiled brightly when she saw two figures approaching. "Big brother and big sister are here!" she shouted happily.

Kohta breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Chase and Saeko approach the gate. The american leaning on the bushido master's shoulder as they trudged up to the estate.

Saya looked out one of the windows and smiled. The expression quickly changing to one of cold indifference as she looked to one of the helpers nearby. "Open the gates." she ordered.

"Yes ma'am." replied the helper as they went to do what she asked.

Down below, the gates opened and the couple walked through to see Zero and Alice running up to them. The little girl throwing herself into their arms and smiling brightly at seeing them again.

Chase grunted in pain forcing Alice to climb down, "Big brother?" she asked worried. She looked down and gasped seeing the blood on the torn part of his vest. "Your hurt!" she said with tears in her eyes.

"I'm alright sweetheart." said the american smiling through his pain. He looked up to see Kohta and Takashi approaching him. "Hay guys, miss us?" he asked smirking.

"Things did get pretty boring without you around." said Takashi glad to see them both alright.

"Shit, you better get that looked at Chase. It looks rough." said Kohta looking at his friends side.

Chase smirked again, "You should see the other guy."

Saeko picked his arm up and slung it back over her shoulder, "Come on, we'll have Shizuka take a look at it to make sure there isn't any more damage." she said helping him along.

"Thanks babe." the survivor said as they both enjoyed the close proximity to one another.

They walked past the shocked boys who looked at one another, "_Babe?_" they wondered at the same time. Alice just skipped past them after the couple with Zero on her heels.

**X**

It took only half an hour for Shizuka to look over the injury and treat it properly. The blonde nurse telling Saeko she did really well with treating it and it had held their whole journey to the estate without difficulty.

Though the blonde nurse said he'd have to take it easy for a few days while he healed.

Now redressed in new bandages and his wound stitched up, Chase walked with Saeko, Takashi and Kohta as they went down one of the many corridors within the estate. "It's a pretty nice set up here. Heavily fortified too." said the american looking around at the large safe house.

"I know what you mean, we were pretty shocked to see it ourselves when we arrived." said Kohta. "Saya also took your journal to her father before he left the estate. He said something about wanting to talk to you the moment he returned from something he had to do out in the city."

Chase nodded as they approached a set of double doors. "Where are you taking us anyway?" asked Saeko as they stood at the doors.

Takashi grabbed the handle and looked back at them, "After we got here, we ran into some people who helped us get settled. When they found out that we were friends of Chase's they were dead set on making sure we were close by.

Entering the room, the couple saw Saya off in the corner, her calculating eyes giving nothing away as she regarded them. But if you looked deep enough you could see that she was glad to see them in one piece.

Shizuka, Rei and Alice weren't present for one reason or another. But four other people stood in the room who all turned when the doors opened.

Both teens were shocked at seeing them, but Chase was far more gone than she was. "W-What are you guys doing here?" he asked not believing his eyes as he recognized them immediately.

"Heh, is that any way to greet old friends, kid?" asked the familiar voice of Logan Carter as he, Purna, Xian and Sam B all stood facing him.

**A/N: Hows that for a twist? Many of you were expecting a cameo appearance by the original cast and here you have it. John Morgan will also be making an appearance later on so don't fret too much on that one. The fight with the Butcher and the outcome was to put the fear in any remaining haters and let everyone know that Chase's isn't invincible. Like in Dead Island when you play, it's mostly skill and luck that you make it through alive when the difficulty increases. And I implemented that here for everyone's entertainment.**

**Update coming some time, so stay tuned!**


	11. NOTICE

**Hello everyone, for the record this is not DemonFireX. I'm his girlfriend and I'm writing this to tell you all what has happened in the last week. **

** As you know, my boyfriend was in a car accident that damaged his arm and leg pretty bad. What you don't know and what we just discovered is that the damage done to his leg was a lot worse that what the doctors thought. **

** When the car was hit, the force from the impact had torn all but one of the main tendons in his right knee. This includes the ACL tendon which is a big problem.**

** Even though he never showed it, he was in a lot of pain. So much that even the pain pills the hospital gave him barely work. When we took him to the hospital to find out how to fix this we got the worse news possible.**

** Because of the damage done...the tendons are shreaded. The only one remotely salvageable enough to fix is the ACL. The doctor told us that they could repair what they could, but he wouldn't be able to gain full function of his right leg ever again. **

** We were all devistated. He was on our school's track team and loved running so much. I saw a part of him die when the doctor told him that he'd have to be on crutches for the rest of his life. I swear it killed me and his mother seeing him like that. **

** The only consolation was that the court date set for the bastard that hit the car wasn't for another week. Adam's lawyer took all of this and is going to make sure the guy suffers for this...I honestly think that it would never be enough for what he has taken from my love.**

** At the moment, he's very vulnerable and needs his family and friends to help him through this. I'm writing this because he needs you all too. Ever since he started this a lot of you have become like friends to him. A couple are even students learning from his writing style. **

** I watched one of his dreams die...I won't watch another one fall if I can stop it. He loves writing, and I know that when he comes out of this he'll be more determined to be the best at what he does despite what has happened. **

** He's going to be off the site for a while. I don't know how long exactly, but when he comes back you can bet he will be with avengence.**

** Also...I plan on telling him some news today that I know will raise his spirits. I've wanted to tell him for the last day or so but it just seems too soon. But he has every right to know.**

** He's going to be a daddy... :)**

** We planned on having kids after school and our wedding, and we might only be in our second year at college, but I just know that he'll be a great parent. And after everything that has happened to him I hope that this will be the beacon of hope that he needs. **

** Don't lose faith in him guys. And give him what support that you can. Please. As his other half and the mother of his child don't forget about him, and I'll make sure that he keeps tabs on you guys too.**

** Thank you for reading this. And for any support you give. This means the world to us. **


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